


you make loving fun

by softzindagi



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Both are single dads, Kid Fic, Little bit of angst, M/M, Single Dad AU, Smut, alternative universe, blowjob, handjob, harry is a florist, idk what exactly to tag yet because the mature stuff will come later and im still writing that, liam is a lawyer, so bare with me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-30
Updated: 2017-07-31
Packaged: 2018-11-06 16:03:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 23,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11039553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softzindagi/pseuds/softzindagi
Summary: “First time doing the whole drop off?” Liam asks, walking up to the man. He looks up at Liam, just a hint of tears present as he nods his head.“Yeah, she’s a shy one. I’m a bit worried,” he replies, standing up while looking back into the classroom. His daughter is sitting beside Sophie, and Liam smiles at the way Sophie immediately began talking to her.“The first drop off is always the worst. But I think she’s gonna be just fine,” Liam says, giving him a smile. He holds his hand out for a shake, “I’m Liam Payne.”“Harry Styles,” Harry responds, returning the smile, this time genuinely. Liam is struck by the ease and brightness of it, like sunshine.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! So this is my very first lirry, and this has been a fic that's been brewing since January. I don't know what mature content will show up in this, but there will be some for sure. Also excuse any grammar mistakes, I truly did try to catch them all.  
> Happy reading!  
> 

**_Part 1_ **

 

 _When I looked into_  
_your brown eyes_  
_they were the safe haven_  
_I had spent my whole life_  
_in search of_

_-[kenzie lawson](http://wnq-writers.com/post/159418306172/when-i-looked-into-your-brown-eyes-they-were-the)_

Liam used to hate mornings. Well he still dislikes them, but mostly because he is too tired to function with a little girl who demands his attention. He wouldn't have it any other way, however, because Sophie is quite literally the best thing to ever happen to him. Her enthusiasm for just about everything is the only thing that got him out of bed in the morning, but most of the time he isn't sure if he was grateful for it or resigned to it.

Today is his little girl's first day of primary school. She'd gotten in months before and the tuition was more than Liam would ever want to consider, but it was the best school in the city and Liam would be damned if he didn't give Sophie the best. And Sophie's energy was on the highest it could be because she was so excited. Liam needs his coffee strong today, else he isn't sure if he'll make it past drop off.

"Daddy, Daddy! I want pancakes." Sophie demands, tugging his hand as Liam brushes his teeth. Liam groans as he looks at the clock in the hallway, as it reads half past seven, which means they are already getting late. He cleans off his face in a hurry, not bothering to shave as he moves to the coffee pot.

"Love, we won't make it on time for school if we make pancakes today. How about a waffle instead? That way you can eat it in the car with your milk."

Sophie pauses, tilting her head to the side as if pretending to be in deep thought. "Can we have pancakes later?"

"Whatever you want, Soph. And I'll tell you what." Liam says, bending down to crouch in front of her.

"What," Sophie asks, grinning proudly.

"If you're on your best behavior today, we can go for some ice cream."

"Can we get ge-," Sophie stops, turning her head to the side and looking puzzled. "Ge-"

"Gelato?" Liam supplies, chuckling as he shakes his head.

"Yes! Can we get that?"

"We sure can, love," Liam replies, giving her forehead a kiss as he rises to make her lunch and his breakfast. "Go put your rain boots and rain coat on, we have to go soon."

"OH! Okay," Sophie exclaims, running to the entrance hallway where her rain boots sit. Liam rushes out of the kitchen to get his suit on before moving back into the kitchen.

He can hear Sophie humming a little, the tune all wrong and she grunts a little in concentration. Liam smiles to himself, as he checks to make sure he remembered everything for her lunch box, making sure to grab the peanut butter and jelly sandwich he made for her the night before. He looks at the clock again and it's thirty minutes until he has to be to the school, and with the rain, he needs to extra time as Sophie loves puddles just a bit too much.

They eat quickly, with Liam chugging his coffee and Sophie so excited to leave that she takes her waffles in hand and sits by the door as she waits for Liam. She’s finished with it by the time he comes back with her backpack.

"You ready, love?"

"No! I can't zip up my jacket!" She crosses her arms in defeat, looking up at Liam like it's his fault.

"Can I help with that?"

"Please." Soph moved her arms down in a large display of annoyance, but looks down thoughtfully as she watches Liam zip her up. "Why can't I do that?"

"I don't know. Daddy is just better at it," Liam teases, winking down at her. Sophie ignores this as she grabs her lunch box from Liam and puts it into her bright yellow backpack. She tugs it on with a little struggle but beams up at him when it's safely on.

"Are you ready, now?" Liam asks, grabbing his keys and umbrella.

"Yes!"

"Alright, let's go!" They make it out of the door in record time, and Liam can safely say he’s never seen Sophie so excited.

 

~

 

Liam had given Sophie off to daycare before, but he'd never ever had to wait for entrance. Daycares were meant for working parents, where drop off is as early as 7 in the morning but now? Now Liam has to drop Sophie off at eight-thirty with a lunch bag. His little girl is growing up and now he has to play by her hours, instead of the other way around.

He waits with all the other parents, most of them mothers except another man and his daughter. He had soft brown curls and a smile that just seems like it belongs in magezines. All the mothers look at Liam and the man with great appreciation, but Liam is used to this kind of thing. Wherever Liam went with Sophie, these were the looks he got, from motherly appreciation to open admiration from other women. But Sophie was his world, and he’d not been able to even think about dating whatsoever. His little girl needed him and he couldn’t spare anytime for anyone else.

He makes eye contact with the other man, gives a sort of shrug and a smile and the man holds his gaze and returns the smile. He looks at the other children, most of whom are holding onto their mothers until the last second, one even crying loudly into his mom’s shoulder as she leads him down the hall to calm him down a little privately. When the teacher, Mrs. Vazquez, finally opens the door for the classroom, Liam bends over to give Sophie a hug.

“You’re gonna be good for your teachers today, yeah?”

“Of course, Daddy,” Sophie says into his ear, slightly offended at even the thought of being bad. Liam smiles and pulls away to kiss her forehead.

“Alright, Soph, I’ll come get you at three today, alright? Eat all of your lunch, and most of all?” Liam pauses, giving her a big smile. “Have a wonderful day, sweetheart. I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Sophie replies, giving Liam a kiss on his cheek before making a dash for her new teacher and into her new classroom. He stands up and shakes his head lovingly, moving to leave but pauses when he see’s the other dad hug his little girl who looks scared. He finally lets the teacher kindly take the girl into the classroom, the dad waving in encouragement. Liam knows that look, it is the same look he had when he first started Sophie off in daycare.

“First time doing the whole drop off?” Liam asks, walking up to him. He looks up at Liam, just a hint of tears present as he nods his head.

“Yeah, she’s a shy one. I’m a bit worried,” he replies, standing up while looking back into the classroom. His daughter is sitting beside Sophie, and Liam smiles at the way Sophie immediately begins talking to her.  
“The first drop off is always the worst. But I think she’s gonna be just fine,” Liam says, giving him a smile. He holds his hand out for a shake, “I’m Liam Payne.”

“Harry Styles,” Harry responds, returning the smile, this time genuinely. Liam is struck by the ease and brightness of it, like sunshine.

“She’s gonna do just fine, believe me. The shyness will pass,” Liam nods towards the inside the room, where Sophie finally got the girl to smile, a genuine smile as far as Liam can tell, “Plus, looks like she’s already making a friend.”

“Is that your daughter?”

“Yeah- Sophie loves making new friends,” Liam answers proudly.

“Flora is slow at making them, but it seems your daughter cracked through her shyness,” Harry responds, nodding with a new level of assurance.

“If anyone can, it’ll be Sophie.” Liam looks down at his watch and startles, realizing he’s gonna be late if he stays any longer. “They’re both gonna do great, I’m sure of it. It was nice meeting you.”

“You too,” Harry responds, putting out his hand again for Liam to shake.

Liam walks away feeling his hand tingle and with a little bit more tolerance for the morning. And if he keeps thinking back to Harry’s smile, well, Harry didn’t have to know about that.

 

~

 

Liam flies through the door just as the clock turns 3:30, signaling the end of pick up. He sighs heavily as he puts his hands on his knees and leans over, not having to run like that since high school. As he stands up again, the room focuses and he is staring down at Sophie, her hands crossed in exasperation and annoyance. He can't help but think of how fast she's growing up because of it.

"Daddy! You're late!" Sophie accuses, her eyebrows knit together and her face set in a scowl. She looks like the spitting image of his ex, and he falters for a moment before crouching down and picking her up.

“I’m sorry, Soph,” he says, jiggling her as she perches against his side. He turns to Mrs. Vazquez, smiling sheepishly at the teacher. “I’m sorry for the late pick up, it’s been a busy workday.”

“You got here just on time, Mr. Payne,” Mrs. Vazquez replies, smiling warmly at both he and Sophie. “Sophie was just a bit anxious for you, that’s all.”

“Was she good today? No upsets or accidents?” Sophie gasps beside him, seemingly scandalized that Liam would ask such a thing.

Mrs. Vazquez just laughs, “No, no she was good. She was a big help and I think she’ll have a lot of stories for you, I’m sure.

“Will she now,” Liam asks, smiling as Sophie nods proudly.

“So many stories,” Sophie answers excitedly, clapping her hands.

“Okay, sweetheart, say goodbye to Mrs. Vazquez,” Liam instructs, picking up her bag from off the floor and slinging it onto his shoulder.

“Bye, Mrs. Vazquez!” She waves both of her hands and Mrs. Vazquez laughs as she copies Sophie.

“Goodbye, Sophie! I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yes! And I’ll see Flora!”

Liam thanks Mrs. Vazquez and apologizes again, putting Sophie down so that she can walk side by side with him out of the daycare. “Is Flora the girl you were talking to this morning?”

“Yes! She can draw so so good, Daddy,” Sophie answers, giggling as she tries to tell him more. “She drew me with a princess dress and it was the most prettiest thing. She let me keep it and everything. Can we hang it up in my room? Please, Daddy?”

“Of course we can, Soph. Did you like your first day of school?”

“It was _the_ best! I shared my carrots with Flora and Flora gave me some gummies,” Sophie recounts, swinging her lunch box in her right hand as Liam clasps her left in his.

“What else did you do? What about the playground?”

“I played on the slide! But Roger and Adam were on the swing so we had to take turns,” Sophie says this with an air of annoyance, looking up at Liam with big eyes, “And they took so long! Flora didn’t want to say anything but I wanted to go on the swing so I told them that sharing is caring.”

“Did you? And what did they say,” Liam asks, grinning playfully.

“They didn’t get off! I was so mad but then another boy came and they ran away to play with him. I don’know his name, he’s bigger.”

“Was he older than you?”

“Yes! But I don’know what classroom…” Sophie concentrates on this, her eyes going up as she thinks. Liam loved when she does this, because she tilts her head to right, the concentration deep and adorable. He’s lost count of how many times he’s taken pictures of her like this, sending them to various people.

“It’s okay, sweetheart,” Liam soothes her, picking her up as they reach the car. He opens the door and puts her into her booster seat, letting her backpack fall on the seat beside her.  “Do you still want that Gelato I promised you?”

“Yes, please,” Sophie responds, letting him strap her in properly. Liam gives her a kiss on the cheek when he’s done, causing her to giggle and push his face away from her. “Daddy, you’re being silly.” Liam closes the door and quickly gets into the driver's seat, starting the car so they can finally get going.

“I can’t be silly with my babygirl?” He makes himself sound offended, frowning at her when he turns around to back out of the car park.

She thinks on this for a moment, “You can, but you _can’t_ surprise me like that.”

“Not even to be silly?”

There’s a moment of silence before Sophie retracts her statement, “You can be silly, Daddy.”

“So I can kiss you whenever I want?”

“No, Daddy! You have to ask sometimes.”

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. Next time I will ask,” Liam concedes, grinning in mirth.

“Good, are we going to get Gi… Gelato now?”

“Yes, sweetheart. How about you think about what kind you want, okay?”

Sophie gives her assent and begins to list all the flavors she knows in her head. Liam sighs, the tired he feels from the long and eventful day coming in stronger than he’d like.

 

~

 

By the time Friday comes around, Liam is exhausted. His only vice for waking up that morning is that Sophie needs to make it to school and that he’d get to see Harry again. Liam won’t admit it yet, at least not to himself, that he’s been taking more and more interest in him. Liam would like to blame it on their daughters, because each morning they are both there early, even before the teachers open the doors for the children to enter the classrooms. Liam puts this to the both of them having early starting jobs and the earliest they can drop off Sophie and Flora, the better, but Liam knows deep down that’s just an excuse, at least on his side. He feels drawn to Harry and his easy smile and bright blue eyes, a demeanor that screams happiness. And if Liam finds Harry insanely attractive, then he’d just keep that to himself because he’s not even sure Harry swings that way. Hell, he’d not even been sure he’d swung that way until a few years prior.

It’s funny, really. Liam is never sure if Harry is flirting with him or not, and Liam’s instincts scream that it’s flirting but his brain says otherwise, that’s it’s just a kindness. With either case, Liam is out of his element with this one. Everyday for the past week Liam and Harry have striked up minimal conversation as they wait for the doors to open, both watching their respective daughter as they talk and play. It’s the same old conversation, and Liam has no idea what to do to spark something more. He’d like to blame it on how tired he is, but he knows that’s not the case.

He walks in the school with Sophie tugging on his hand excitedly, and Liam has to pause when he hears her yell as she see’s Flora. He watches and follows as she runs up to Flora and they hug happily. He only looks up in time to see that Harry is leaning against the wall opposite the classroom door, his leg bent as his shoe is against the wall and hands in his denim jacket pockets. Liam doesn’t know if he should laugh or if he should try and calm the clenching from his stomach. He looks straight out of a high school movie, which Liam will admit makes him look incredibly attractive.

“You look like hell,” Harry says as he straightens up. They are the only ones there, as the other parents usually come in later for drop off.

“Thanks, mate,” Liam replies, his eyes closing as mimics Harry and leans against the wall. “I had a late night going through paperwork.”

“Sounds boring.” Liam peaks open an eye to look at Harry to find him grinning. “Should get you over to my house and get your creative juices flowing.”

“As much as that sounds appealing, I should have you know Sophie would be highly offended that 1, I got the first invite to your house before she did, and 2, that she loves her coloring time with me.”

Harry laughs, “Sophie is welcome to come along. I have crayons and coloring books galore.”

“I’ve filled up my fair share of Mulan coloring books,” Liam snarks back. His eyes are still closed but he feels Harry’s gaze burn into the side of his face, “Plus, finger painting is my favorite.”

“Is it? Hmm, sounds messy,” Harry snarks right back.

“Why, Styles, you’ve never had to do finger painting? Flora must be so deprived.”

“I think I prefer paint brushes.” Liam opens his eyes to see Harry’s eyes are filled with mirth.

“Afraid to get your hands dirty,” Liam asks, raising his eyebrow in challenge.

“Not at all,” Harry replies, turning his body to fully face Liam, “I like to get messy, occasionally.” He gives Liam a wink, but before Liam can reply the door to the classroom opens and Mrs. Vazquez is ushering in the girls and the other children that have accumulated.

“Sophie, don’t forget your lunch,” Liam calls, holding out her lunch bag for her to take. She runs up to him and takes it but Liam grabs her up so he can give her a proper hug. “I’ll see you later, yeah?”

“Yes, Daddy,” Sophie wiggles out of his grasp but not before she gives his cheek a kiss. “Bye!”

“Bye, sweetheart.” Liam waves as she leaves, the tired seeping in again as he realizes he has to make it into the firm now. He looks around for Harry and see’s that he’s talking to Mrs. Vazquez. They make eye contact and Liam gives him a short wave to which Harry returns. Liam won’t remember the wink until later that day, but when he does, he’ll be thinking about it for the rest of the weekend.

 

~

 

The sun is out for once, with the streets filling in with people who need that little break in the sun. It’s Liam’s day off, and the first thing he did was drop Sophie off at school. Flora was already inside the classroom, which meant he’d missed a chance to talk to Harry. It’s been a week of school already, and as it’s a Monday morning, Sophie would have none of Liam’s persuasions to try and keep her home. She was too excited to see Flora. He’s happy to see her find a friend and Liam had heard about Flora nonstop. It was adorable and Liam knows Sophie is already on the way to becoming best friends with the girl.

With Sophie safely at school, Liam has compiled a mental list of errands he needs to make and maybe do some shopping in town. He’s half way through, with making a quick stop at his firm to make sure nothing had collapsed while he was gone, and he comes to be outside of a flower shop, _Floral Styles_. But it’s not the flowers or the name that catch his eye, but the man behind the counter.

“Harry?” Liam asks as he enters the shop. It’s quaint, with the interior being primarily bleached wood and tin, the stark bright colors of the flowers and the light from the outside giving it a homely feel. Even if Liam didn’t know Harry that well, he’d peg him for a homely kind of guy and this set up fit that perfectly. It was a feeling and surrounding Liam knew he could get intoxicated in.

“Liam? Hey, how are you?” Harry responds, turning around with a dishcloth in his hands as he wipes them clean.

“I’m good, mate. How are you?” Liam asks, looking around to keep from staring at Harry. He was wearing a black t-shirt and dark blue jeans with a brown apron that was not fully tied around his waist. Liam tries not to concentrate on the way Harry’s hair seems to fall in front of his forehead, the medium strands twisting in an attempt to curl. He has to restrain himself from stepping forward to brush it away and tuck it behind his ear, because Liam doesn’t know Harry like that but he begins to feel like he wants to.

“Can’t complain, especially since I’m surrounded by flowers most of the day,” Harry replies, smirking as Liam finally makes eye contact with him. Liam thinks back to the wink Harry had given him a few days prior and it takes everything out of him to not blush profusely.

“Flora’s name makes so much sense now.” He leans against one of the tables that color coordinated with roses in tin vases. Liam can see now why Harry is so happy and carefree, anyone who works with flowers all day. “Actually it all makes sense, now.”

“All of what?” Harry asks, confused as he moves from behind the cashier counter and throwing the cloth onto the counter. He raises an eyebrow as he approaches the table Liam is at and leans against the other end of the table. Liam feels like he’s playing with fire.

“You- all of you makes sense.” Liam shrugs as he says this, his hand motioning the entire length of Harry’s body.

“You have me pegged then do you?” Harry smirks as he steps forward, his right hand tapping on the table as he does this. Liam becomes acutely aware that his own hand is on the table but he forces himself to keep his hand where it is.

“A little bit, yeah,” Liam replies, giving Harry his own smirk. It’s dangerous territory, if Liam is being totally honest, but he wants to see where Harry wants to take this.

“Well, let’s have it then.”

“What? Me, tell you, my assessment of you?”

“Sure, why not?” Harry steps forward again, but this time he leans against the table fully, his arms coming up across his chest and his leg crosses over the other.

“Nah, I think I’ll keep that to myself a little longer.” Liam turns to give the shop another appraisal. “I never pegged you for a florist, though.”

“I’ve always helped my mum with her garden, and I have a keen eye for design, so I decided to blend the two. Plus, with Flora’s child support and this being the only flower shop in town, we get by pretty well.”

“Yeah? That’s good, this place looks like it could be from a small village off the north coast,” Liam replies, stopping to smell a bouquet of daisies. “Sophie’s mum almost named her Daisy, actually. Our daughters would’ve been quite the pair if that had happened.”

“They would no doubt think they are destined to be friends. Taking over the playground one slide at a time.”

“Oh god, we would never hear the end of it,” Liam chuckled. There is a silence, a pleasant one but one that Liam finds just a bit uncomfortable. “How long has it been just you and Flora?”

Harry looks a bit surprised by the question but he shrugs as he answers, “Ever since she was a few months old. Her mum and I were a one night stand, but we both wanted to keep Flora, but for different reasons. Tory, her mum, didn’t want to get an abortion and I wanted to take responsibility of our child. Tory is a career woman, she got a job in the States working for a media company in Houston, Texas and she took it. She gave me full custody of Flora, but she still comes and visits and facetimes when she can. How about you?”

“Sophie’s mum and I were young when we got married. She got pregnant with Sophie two years after, when our marriage was already in shambles. I wanted to make it work for Sophie’s sake, but after a year, her mum left us. She sent me divorce papers through her parent’s lawyer, and the last time I heard she’d left England for Italy. I fought Sophie’s grandparents for sole custody, and here we are,” Liam replied, rubbing the back of his neck nervously again. He didn’t like thinking about Sophie’s mum. “I went to law school while my parents helped babysit Sophie, because I wanted to give Sophie the best that I could. It’s been just me and Soph since.”

Harry is staring at Liam with a new intensity Liam isn’t ready for. Liam tries to shrug it off as he turns away again, seeing a mixed bouquet of purple flowers that he knows Sophie will love. He goes to it and picks it up, indicating he needs to get going, and turns back to see Harry move toward the counter again.

“For the record,” Harry begins, his eyes still as intense as before, “I think you’re doing a great job with Sophie.”

“Thanks, mate,” Liam replies, nodding his head as he brings the flowers over, “Same for you and Flora. She’s an absolute sweetheart.”

Harry smiles his thanks and he checks Liam out, putting the flowers in a plastic vase with water and hands Liam the customary packet of fertilizer. “I’ll see you at pick up, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Liam answers, “Have a good day, Harry.”

“You too, Liam.”

Liam walks out feeling like he should’ve said something more, to carry on with the conversation but his ineptitude with their dynamic was making him even more inept than he wanted. He knows he’s going to have to try harder next time, but he tries to put that to the side as he continues on with his errands before having to go back for Sophie.

 

~

 

Harry catches him just as he's leaving the school, smiling cheerfully at Liam. Liam can't help but wonder how Harry seems to move around with such ease.

"Hey, Liam," Harry calls, coming down the steps of the school. He's wearing a button down pink shirt that's open and a white t-shirt underneath to show off the outlines of his tattoos. Harry's tanner than normal today, his arms toned and just a little stubble showing that makes Liam's stomach clench.

"Hey, Harry," Liam responds just as Harry goes in for a hug. Liam's shocked, but he quickly recovers, putting his arm around Harry just in time. Liam feels like he's stepping on rocks, no idea how to proceed. "How was your weekend?"

"It was good; Flora and I went back to my mum's house for my sister's birthday," Harry replies, his smile somehow broadening even more. "She told my mum all about Sophie and their first two weeks of school. I don't think I've ever seen Flora so active and happy."

"Yeah?" Liam smiles, feeling proud of Sophie and her positive effect on Flora. "Sophie also talked a lot about Flora. It's good that they have each other, Sophie's always been so active that many children shy away from that."  

"I would've thought Flora would also shy away, but Flora loves Sophie. I see a positive bloom in her that I've been waiting for, and I couldn't thank Sophie enough for that."

Liam's heart clenches at this, seeing the way Harry fully accepts his child for who she is. Many people would call Sophie loud and obnoxious, but Harry doesn’t. It's heartening, and Liam could've kissed him for it, but he keeps his distance. "She wouldn't have had Flora any other way."

"Nor Flora," Harry responds, his smile becoming lopsided.

Liam looks down at his watch, knowing that he should be getting into work soon, “Hey, I gotta get going, but I’ll see you later.”

“You will,” Harry confirms, “Have a great day, Liam.”

“You too, Harry.” Liam turns around and starts walking. He’s halfway to his car when he turns to see Harry still standing where he left him, just watching Liam as he leaves. Liam gives him a smile and a wave to which Harry returns and finally turns around to head in the opposite direction. Liam feels light and at ease the rest of the day.

 

~

 

Liam finds Harry at the door of the classroom with both Sophie and Flora talking to him animatedly. Harry mocks being surprised, and Sophie giggles as she tugs on his shirt in retaliation.

“Hiya, sweetheart,” Liam says as he approaches, mussing her hair playfully. “Hi, Flora, how was your day?”

“Good!” They both say in unison, giggling as they realize this.

“Sophie and Flora were telling me about their lunch adventure,” Harry supplies, putting a hand on Liam’s shoulder. Liam tries not to preen at the contact, but he smiles at Harry before turning back to the girls.

“An adventure? During lunch?” Liam questions, crouching in front of them.

“Uh huh! Mrs. Vazquez read us a story at ate lunch and it was about a dragon,” Sophie fills him in, her hands clapping in excitement.

“A dragon?” Liam asks in mock surprise, probably, he thinks, just as Harry had done.

“Yes,” Flora answers, grinning shyly up at Liam. “And a princess!”

“Oh wow.” He looks up at Harry to see him wink down at him, and it almost makes Liam fall over. He’s glad when Flora changes the subject for him.

"Oh Daddy, can Sophie and Liam come for tea and biscuits tomorrow?" Flora asks tentatively, her shoe digging into the ground nervously.

"Yes, please, Daddy! Harry makes the _best_ biscuits!" Sophie tugs on Liam's pants as he pops her bottom lip out and bugs her eyes, making Liam want to groan.

“How do you know that,” Liam asks, confused as to when Harry had the opportunity to bake for his daughter.

“Flora shares them with me at lunch!”

"I can make a mean cup of coffee too, if it helps." Harry adds, giving Liam a cheeky grin. This flirtation they've got going on is something Liam can scarcely believe is happening, but it has been and he is realizing how much fun it actually is. Harry's cheeky wit and happy grins are something Liam looks forward to every day. If they do this, this would be their kids first play date. It's oddly nerve wracking, if Liam is being totally honest, because that means Liam would be staying over while they played, but entirely invigorating at the same time.

" _Please_ , Mr. Liam? I want to show Sophie my pebbles!"

"Pebbles?" Liam looks up at Harry with a raised eyebrow before kneeling down again to be eye level with them. "What kind of pebbles?"

"All kinds of pebbles." Flora says excitedly, jumping up and down. "There are small ones and big ones and- and they are so smooth and Daddy takes me to the beach to pick my own."

"Wow, that sounds amazing. Will you show me them too?"

"Yes! But you have to bring Sophie too, you can't forget Sophie," Flora says, looking quite stern as she says this.

"Yeah, Daddy! You can't forget me," Sophie agrees. She grabs Liam's hand and squeezes for emphasis, mimicking Flora’s stern demeanor. Liam knows in that moment that these two will be inseparable. And that means there's going to be a lot more Harry in his life, too. Liam doesn't quite understand the feeling that overcomes him, but it's not dread. It's just a touch of happiness and excitement with that nervousness he's known for.

"How could I even dare to forget you, Sophie?" Liam asks with a wink, accepting the giggle and push from Sophie at his words. The girls shriek together, and Liam watches them run around the playground in front of the school as he stands up beside Harry. "So, tomorrow is a play date, huh?"

"Only if you want to," Harry replies, side eyeing Liam before returning his gaze to watch their kids.

"I'd love to, plus I don't think our kids would forgive us if we didn't."

"Flora would not, that's for sure. Your number?" Harry asks as he pulls out his phone.

Liam gives it without hesitation. The odd elation he feels once Harry saves it with a huge cheeky grin is something Liam hasn't felt in a long time.

"Let's say noon? Lunch at my place?"

"We'd love that."

"Good." Harry nods, looking back at their kids as they run back to them. Liam see’s a brightness there, and he’d like to think it’s excitement.

"Daddy, I wanna go home and get ready for Sophie to come. My pebbles are messy," Flora says, looking quite worried at the thought. Liam winks at Sophie who giggles as she takes Liam’s hand.

"Of course, love," Harry holds out his hand for her to take as he looks between Sophie and Liam. "Do you have any special requests, Sophie? I can make _anything_ you want."

"Um," Sophie says, looking up at her dad as she continues, "Can you make chocolate biscuits?" Liam rolls his eyes as chocolate biscuits are her favorite dessert, as her grandmother makes them from scratch for Sophie all the time.

"You bet I can," Harry smiles, giving Sophie a wink. He looks up at Liam as he continues,  "We'll see you tomorrow."

The girls hug tightly, with Sophie promising to bring her favorite doll to show Flora and Flora promising all kinds of fun activities. Liam watches as Harry give Sophie a high five, smiling and listening as she gave him more requests to fulfill.

“Soph, we’re going to have other playdates,” Liam begins, crouching beside both her and Flora. He looked between them and Harry as he continued, “You can save some of your ideas for next time.”

“We’re going to have more playdates,” Flora asks, her eyes going wide as she accepts Liam’s offer.

“You bet we will,” Liam replies, grinning widely. “And next time, you can come over to ours and Sophie can show you all her stuffed animals.”

“I can show you Ellie!” Sophie nearly yells, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet, clutching onto both Liam and Flora now.

“Ellie the elephant?” Harry asks. Liam looks up at him in surprise, not sure when Harry ever had the chance to talk to Sophie about her stuffed animals.

“Yes! She loves hugs and sleeps on my bed with me,” Sophie answers.

“Flora told me all about Ellie,” Harry says, answering Liam’s unasked question.

“Really?” Liam chuckles, “I’ve heard a lot about your musical abilities recently.”

“What can I say? A song for my little girl goes a long way it seems.”

“Daddy, my pebbles! Can we please go home?” Flora tugs at Harry’s hand, trying to get his attention again.

“Of course, love.” Harry turns back to Liam and Sophie, “I’ll see you guys tomorrow then! I’ll text you my address.”

“Okay,” Liam responds, getting Sophie up into his arms, “See you tomorrow.”

“Bye Flora!” Sophie yells out, waving her hand frantically.

“Bye Sophie!”

“You ready to go, sweetheart?” Liam asks her, turning to go in the direction of their car.

“Yup,” Sophie replies, putting her head onto his shoulder. “I wanna get Ellie ready to meet Flora.”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Liam replies, shaking his head in merriment.

 

~

 

Liam feels stupid for being as nervous as he is with going to Harry’s house, because as soon as he enters, Harry’s ease and talkative nature slips in and everything just seems to fall into place. Sophie and Flora are set up in Harry’s living room, coloring and Sophie showing Flora Ellie the elephant. Flora had brought down her own baby doll, one that Harry had explained was given to Flora by his mother.

"How are you not tired right now? Sophie had me up at six this morning because she was so excited and I don't think I can last very long without that cup of coffee I was promised."

"Flora is a sleeper, plus I am a mere florist. Quite lovely and stress free around this time of year. Come on, I'll get you that coffee I promised."

"Please, I'll be begging soon."

"Then maybe I should wait. Have never had any grown man beg before," Harry winks at Liam before moving into the kitchen, not at all waiting for Liam to follow. Liam feels his cheeks begin to burn, and he busies himself with just inspecting Harry’s kitchen. It’s the same counter tops as in his flower shop, but instead of colors, the area is oddly white and chic.

“My sister, Gemma, is an interior designer,” Harry provides, watching Liam as he puts together their pot of coffee. “She really outdid herself when she designed this house for me.”

“Did she design the shop, too?”

“Yeah, she and I have a taste for bleached wood that work really well for the flower shop. It makes the flowers even brighter than with any other tabletop,” Harry explains. He turns around as the pot begins to drip the coffee, his arms even more defined as he crosses them against his chest.

“It’s very you,” Liam replies, remembering their conversation from before. Turns out Harry does too.

“Is today the day I get that assessment I was promised?”

“A character assessment to boost your ego even more, I think I’ll pass,” Liam chuckles, dodging the rag that Harry throws at him.

“Well at least it’s a good character assessment if you think it’ll boost my ego,” Harry’s lips turn up in a smirk and Liam wants to push his thumb into the dimple that shows.

“Give me some time, I’ll find something that is unsatisfactory soon enough.”

“I wouldn’t count on it,” Harry snarks, “I’m quite the lad.”

“Oh look, I found it. You’re too cocky for your own good,” Liam laughs as Harry begins to protest, but the coffee pot interrupts that.

“Why don’t you ask me for a character assessment of you?”

“I don’t know if I’m completely ready for anyone to ever give me a character assessment of myself,” Liam chuckles nervously. He feels the warmth of Harry’s gaze and he looks up to see him appraising him carefully with a soft smile.

“Hmm, fair enough. Do you take sugar with your coffee?”

“No, just creamer, thank you,” Liam answers. He turns around to watch the girls coloring. He watches Flora talking to Sophie and he finds himself feeling proud of Flora. He can visibly see how far she has come and how much it means to Harry to have her bloom like this. He’s proud of Sophie helping Flora come out of her shell, but Liam would like to remind Harry that it’s Flora who continues to bloom without Sophie’s help. But he doesn’t get the chance as the girls put down the crayons to come join them in the kitchen

“Daddy, can we have the biscuits now?” Flora asks as Harry hands Liam his cup of coffee.

“Sure sweetheart, do you guys want any milk with it?”

“Yes, please!” Sophie answers and Flora nods her head in agreement.

“Thank you, Daddy!”

“Thank you, Mr. Styles!”

“Sophie?” Harry asks, crouching down in front of her, “You know you can call me, Harry right?”

Liam watches as Sophie looks between him and Harry in surprise. “Really?”

“Yeah, if Harry says you can, then you can! Flora, do you wanna call me Liam?” Liam asks, giving Flora a wink.

“Yes, please!” Flora replies excitedly, clapping her hands.

“Okay, you little munchkins. Go sit on the table and I’ll bring out the biscuits and milk,” Harry chuckles. He gets up and takes out the biscuits he’d made earlier that are wrapped up on a tray. Liam helps out by talking out the carton of milk from the fridge, with Harry pointing to the cabinet where the cups are. They take the biscuits and milk to the girls, along with their own coffee, and they all sit together while Sophie and Flora tell them stories. They are made up princess stories, and Liam catches Harry’s stare as the girls take turns describing the scenes, and for a moment it’s the shared admiration for each others child.

Liam realizes this is the kind of admiration he’s always wanted from a significant other. He’d always been afraid of going into a relationship and thinking that they would never accept Sophie and he can imagine this is a similar fear that Harry would carry. He’d never have a relationship with someone who Sophie didn’t accept, and he’d never give up Sophie for anyone else. Not like Sophie’s mother did.

The girls finish their story and decide that it’s time to go play in Flora’s room. Flora’s more than excited to show Sophie her collection of pebbles, which are tucked safely under her bed.

“I didn’t know a princess story could get so descriptive.” Harry shakes his head as he grins.

“Sophie loves to tell stories,” Liam supplies, taking a leftover biscuit off the tray, “The car ride home is always filled with so many stories that sometimes it’s hard to tell them apart.”

“My mum used to be the one to tell Flora stories, and Flora always wants to be told all kinds of stories, but I’m a mere music man. I can’t tell a story to save my life, but I can write you a song in less than a minute.”

“I’ve learned from Sophie the best way to tell a story,” Liam smirks, “And for her it has to have danger, love, and a happy ending.”

“How could you ever go wrong with that?” Harry replies, smiling widely at his own snark.

“Alright, music man,” Liam chuckles, shaking his head, “As long as it makes Sophie happy, then I do what I can.”

“Touche.” Harry starts to take the plates from the table, “If you want to put on the telly to the a footie game, feel free to.”

Liam accepts this, letting Harry take his coffee cup from him. It’s a minute before Harry settles down beside him on the couch and they watch the Manchester United game against Liverpool. They settle in comfortably, with Liam watching Harry more than the game because of how animated Harry becomes with rooting foor Man U. It’s a familiarity that settles between them, but more than that, for Liam it’s an intimacy he’d not been able to enjoy with another adult for a long time.

 

~

 

It’s just after dinner where Liam and Sophie are enjoying Mulan, Sophie’s favorite, when Liam’s cell rings. He looks at the caller I.D. and feels a bit of dread when he see’s that it’s his boss, an occurrence that’s rare and happens only in emergencies. He gets up quickly, only catching Sophie’s attention for a moment before her attention is drawn back to the TV and Liam is safe to leave without a tantrum.

“Hi Eric, what’s up?” Liam says, dreading his boss's voice already.

“Liam, we’ve got a problem with the merger here in Paris. How quickly do you think you can catch the next train or flight out?” Eric is talking quickly, almost frantically which makes Liam even more nervous. He looks into the living room, watching Sophie sing along with Mulan.

“I have to find someone to watch Sophie, but I can be on the next train or plane after that,” Liam responds, trying to rack his brain for people who can watch Sophie on such short notice.

“Call Clara, she is trying to find you the next available ticket outta there right now.” Liam can hear others in the background, before things get muffles. “I gotta go, but I’ll brief you on the situation once you’re enroute. Thanks for this, Liam.” The phone clicks off, leaving Liam with a fresh sense of dread.

This merger meant everything to the firm, it was what was going to keep them afloat and they needed this. The problem was finding a person to watch Sophie. His parents were abroad in Brussels, and his sisters were too far in Wolverhampton to help him with this. He needed someone nearby, but the only person he could think of was Harry. He dials Harry’s number immediately, a nervousness ticking within him.

“Hiya,” Harry answers, sounding chipper and his normal happy self.

“Hi, Harry,” Liam responds, “I- fuck, I need a favor.”

“Yeah?” Harry asks, getting serious instantly. “What’s up? Are you and Sophie okay?”

“We’re fine, I just had something come at work and need to make a quick trip to Paris to help iron out some details with an important merger,” Liam says in a rush, “My parents aren’t in town and I don’t know who else to call to watch Sophie while I’m gone, and I hate to do this to you but I’m desperate.”

“Liam, slow down,” Harry says, his voice calm and soothing. “Of course I can watch Sophie. Flora would love to have her first sleepover anyways, so please don’t worry.”

“Are you sure?” Liam is shaken by the ease and understanding Harry is showing.

“Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be? It’s going to be fine.”

“Thank you, Harry,” Liam sighs, putting his head against his kitchen doorframe. “You don’t know how much this means to me.”

“Anytime, Liam. Are you leaving tonight?”

“I have to. I’ll be dropping her off within the hour, is that okay?”

“Yeah, we’ll be here waiting,” Harry replies.

“Okay, I’ll see you then. Thank you, Harry.”

“Anytime.”

Liam shoots out of the kitchen and into the living room to explain things to Sophie. She is as happy as can be, and goes upstairs to grab things to take with her to Harry’s. Liam follows her and grabs her overnight bag and puts four pairs of clothing in just in case. He lets her add things while he goes and puts together his own overnight bag. They are done within thirty minutes, Liam making sure for the third time that Sophie has everything before they leave.

When they get to Harry’s, Harry is at the door waiting for them with an over excited Flora jumping in front of him. She and sophie run inside happily, with both already in their pj’s.

“There isn’t any health problems I need to know about Sophie are there?” Harry asks.

“None, she’s as healthy as can be. Her stuff is all in this bag, she shouldn’t need anything else but food,” Liam tries to joke. He realizes that it doesn't stick so instead he takes Harry’s hand, “Thank you for this. No seriously, thank you. I wouldn’t trust her with anyone else.”

“You’re welcome. Just come back with a win, yeah?”

“Yeah, I will.” Liam replies. He lets go of Harry’s hand and turns around as he takes out his phone to call Clara, “Call me if anything happens. Thank you again!”

 

~

 

Liam finally takes a break from the room where the merger is being renegotiated. Eric told him on the way that the terms and conditions of the merger were not to the liking of their French counterparts, and Liam was needed to pave better terms as he was told that Eric trusted him to get the best results for their own firm. Liam’s brain was beginning to feel like mush, and they were finally able to get their French counterparts to agree on better terms for the both of them.

Liam takes out his phone and facetimes Harry without even thinking. It’s nine in the morning and Liam just hopes that Harry has his phone because he just wants to see them all, but mostly he wants to see Sophie.

The screen changes as Harry answers the call, showing Harry’s face up close. “Hey, Liam.”

“Hey, Harry. How are things?”

“Things are good. We just finished breakfast and I’m thinking of taking the girls to the park,” Harry replies. He can see Harry’s eyes roam the screen to inspect Liam’s appearance and Liam feels self conscious as he realizes just how rough he looks. “Have you gotten any sleep? How’s the merger coming along?”

“I got an hour or two on the train ride over, but I’m a light sleeper,” Liam explains, rubbing his eyes as the begin to burn. “And the merger is coming along. We’re all exhausted and will break for brunch soon. I just wanted to check in on you guys, wanted to see everyone.”

“Please eat and rest some, Liam,” Harry reprimands softly, concern etching on his face. “Sophie! Your dad is on the phone!” Harry calls out, making Liam wince against the sound ringing in his ears.

Liam hears the sound of pounding footsteps and Sophie comes into frame, laughing as Flora comes into the frame beside her. “Hi, Daddy!”

“Hi, sweetheart,” Liam replies, smiling. “How are you?”

“Good! Harry made us pancakes and chocolate milk and we’re going to the park!”

“Really? Oh man, I wish I could go.”

“We can go when you come back,” Flora supplies, looking from Sophie and Harry and back to the screen. Liam feels his heart expand as he looks on to see all three of them smiling at him, giving him the little support he needs to go forward with this merger. He snaps a quick screenshot of them, and nods his assent at Flora’s suggestion.

“I’d love to. And we can picnic too,” Liam says, swiping at his eyes again.

“Why don’t you girls go put your shoes on and wait for me by the door?” They give their loud assent and yell their goodbyes to Liam as they rush to the front of Harry’s house. “Are you sure you’re doing okay, Liam?”

“I’ll be fine once I get home tonight,” Liam answers, trying not to worry Harry too much. He truly appreciates what Harry is doing for him, watching Sophie on such short notice. He doesn’t know if he can thank him enough, and in his tired state of mind, he has never found Harry more attractive.

“Please take care of yourself,” Harry says, “We’d like you back in one piece.”

Liam stops at Harry’s words, the use of we striking him and he nods through the emotions that flood through him. “I will, Harry. I’ll be coming home soon.”

“Okay, I’ll see you later, then.”

“Have fun,” Liam says before turning off his phone.

It doesn’t strike him until after that he called Harry’s house home.

 

~

 

He trudges up Harry’s front steps, too tired to even think of going anywhere else. He wants to see his baby girl more than anything else, but with it being so late he knows she’d be fast asleep. He is gone for 35 hours, getting as much sleep as he could on the train back but it still isn’t enough. He could feel the tired in his bones and he was physically exhausted as much as he was mentally exhausted. If Harry would let him, he’d much rather crash on Harry’s couch than go home. And if he is being totally honest, he didn’t think he’d make it home if Harry turned him away.

His knock is tentative, a little too wishful that Harry would hear it among all the other late night sounds. It’s not long before Liam decides to just give Harry a call, and he’s mostly relieved when Harry picks up quickly.

“Hey,” Harry breathes out, sounding just as tired as Liam feels.

“Hey, I’m out front if you could maybe let me in? I didn’t want to ring the doorbell or knock loudly because of the girls,” Liam says, leaning his head against the doorframe. He can hear Harry’s footsteps through the phone, and he concentrates on that as he closes his eyes. “And fair warning, I might  collapse on your couch.”

“You’re welcome to it,” Harry chuckles as he opens the door, rubbing his eyes in the process. Liam feels guilty instantly, forgetting that in his moment of looking out for the girls that he’d forgotten that Harry might be asleep.

“I didn’t wake you up, did I?” Liam asks, letting his overnight bag fall by his shoes. “I’m so-”

“You didn’t wake me up, I was trying to clean up the living room,” Harry replies, putting his hand on Liam’s shoulder to steady him as he sways. “Come on, we can go to my bed.”

Liam wanted to protest, to say that the couch was good enough but his want for comfort overrode that instinct. He lets Harry gently take his hand and guide him down the hall, stopping just outside of Flora’s room. Harry nods his head, knowing how much Liam needs to just see Sophie’s face. He’d called nonstop, and Harry had to tell him not to worry because he had Sophie and nothing would happen to her while she was under his care. But if Liam is truthful, it isn’t that he thought Harry wasn’t taking care of her properly, it is that weekends were his time with Sophie and he was missing her.

Liam steps in tentatively, seeing how the room was cluttered with various toys, and he stops when he’s a few feet away from the bed. Sophie is laid out at the bottom of the bed with Flora at the top of it, both holding onto their respective stuffed animals. Liam is hit with a sudden tenderness, feeling his heart tub as he moves forward to kiss Sophie’s forehead. She moves into the touch, her mouth ticking up just a bit. It feels like coming home, everything about this feels like coming home and it fills Liam with a new sense of belonging.

He looks up to see Harry is standing against the door frame, watching him with a soft smile. Warmth spreads through Liam’s chest, molten and wonderful, and he hopes Harry see’s it. Liam isn’t the best at showing emotion anymore, not since Sophie’s mom, but with Harry he feels this new kind of rush that he’s never felt before. He wants to reach out and kiss Harry, but the tired in his bones make him sluggish and instead of kissing Harry, he let’s his head fall onto Harry’s shoulders.

“Come on then,” Harry chuckles again, putting his arm around Liam’s middle, “Let’s get you into bed.”

This is accepted without a fight. Liam strips off his jacket and his dress shirt and pants, not entirely in a state of mind to be conscious of how Harry would perceive this.  He climbs under the blanket, seeing that Harry has already situated himself on the opposite side. There is one light on, the lamp beside Harry’s side of the bed, which leaves a nice orange hue through his room. The blankets are a light grey,

“Thank you, Harry,” Liam says, looking up at Harry for a moment of pure gratitude. “I don’t know what I would’ve done this weekend without you.”

Harry moves so that they are face to face, his hand coming up to cup Liam’s face, “You would have done the same for me.” It’s simple and honest, the absolute truth because Liam would in a heartbeat. He would do anything Harry asked at this point, and Liam can’t help but feel like he’s falling head first into Harry and Flora’s life, like this was what he and Sophie were missing all along. A positive unit of support and love.

Liam doesn’t think, he reaches forward and tugs Harry’s head closer and kisses him, soft, warm, and beautiful.

Harry pulls away just a enough to look into Liam’s eyes, searching for a moment as a smile spreads tentatively. “I’ve been waiting a long time for that.”

“Have you?” Liam cracks, rubbing his thumb along Harry’s hairline.

“Ever since the girls first day.” He winks, causing Liam to laugh.

“Not too long ago,” Liam replies, closing his eyes and yawning into his chest to keep from yawning in Harry’s face.

“Long enough.” Harry pulls Liam just a bit closer, turning around so his back is to Liam’s stomach. “Sleep, the girls will be up in a few hours.”

“Okay,” Liam yawns again, his arm coming around to keep Harry close. His last conscious thought is how things are finally feeling right, everything falling into place. Contentment, in the purest form. He wants to explore this and he wants it forever.


	2. part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This part has smut in it. just a fair warning before you go forward.

**_Part 2_ **

_“You’ve felt it, haven’t you?_

_Those feelings that seem to_

_get so big in your chest,_

_like something is so beautiful it aches?”_

_—[Heather Anastasiu](http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fthequotejournals.com%2Ftagged%2Fheather-anastasiu&t=YmMyNTlhNmZhMjYwMTNkZTQwYTY5YjgyMDBlNzI3MTY1MjJmYWZhOSxsV3RwTDUzcg%3D%3D&b=t%3Aap7PWn0vld7I1fhRCnctHQ&p=http%3A%2F%2Fsoftzindagi.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F159679521825%2Fyouve-felt-it-havent-you-those-feelings-that&m=1), Glitch  _

The sounds of happy laughing and running feet are what wake him up the next morning. He’s groggy and his head is pounding, but he sees a glass of water on the bedside table and goes for it. He feels like he has a hangover, and he would’ve believed it too with the different bedroom he was in. The last 35 hours came slowly, and he looks at the time to see that it’s already half past eleven; he’s already slept in most of the morning.

He gets out of bed slowly, fully aware of the deep ache he feels in his back and legs, and he makes it halfway to the door before the door busts open.

“Daddy, daddy, daddy!” Sophie yells, crashing into his legs and hugging them tightly. Liam had braced himself, but if he hadn’t he’d be on the floor. Liam picks up Sophie easily, blinking at her to clear his vision properly. Flora comes in cautiously, a shy smile on her face. Liam gives her a wink as Sophie cuddles further into his side.

“Sophie! I thought we were gonna let your dad sleep,” Harry calls as he rounds the corner, stopping short when he sees Liam. Liam can’t stop himself from giving Harry an appraisal, but he’s sidetracked by Sophie talking very loudly in his ear.

“But he was awake! I heard him,” Sophie pouts, leaning her head against Liam’s. Sophie hadn’t been this want for physical comfort in a while and Liam was almost sure it was because he’d been gone for over a day. He’d never had to do that before.

“It’s okay, sweetheart,” Liam kisses her forehead as he squeezes her a little, “I was coming to see you. I missed you.”

“I missed you too, Daddy! But I has lots of fun.” She nods her head enthusiastically smiling as Harry lightly pushes Flora into the room. Liam thought that Harry looked dazzling, an easiness that was just so utterly natural and _Harry_.

“What did you guys do?” Liam asks, moving forward to put a hand on Flora’s head to ruffle her hair a bit.

She giggles, grabbing his hand with both of hers to stop him, “We went to the park! It was a little cold but Daddy got us hot cocoa!”

“With marshmallows,” Sophie adds. Liam makes eye contact with Harry and smiles when he sees Harry sheepish look.

“What else did we do,” Harry asks, sitting on the edge of his bed with Flora climbing into his lap.

“We watched Frozen!” Sophie exclaims, clapping her hands together.

“And Granma came over!” Flora says. Harry nods his head, but he’s staring at Liam to gauge his answer.

“I like Flora’s grandma. She made us chocolate chip cookies,” Sophie says, looking at Liam seriously, “And she smells like vanilla.”

“She sounds brilliant,” Liam replies, grinning. “Can I meet her?”

“She only comes on the Saturdays,” Flora says, playing with the hem of her shirt.

“Liam and Sophie can come on Saturday’s too, right, angel? It’ll be fun,” Harry reasons, moving her so that she sat sideways on his lap. “We can go up to Granma’s together.”

Liam watches as Flora quietly thinks this over, aware of all their eyes on her as she finally turns to Liam with a hesitant look. “Can Sophie bring Ellie the Elephant?”

“Yes, please Daddy? Can I?”

“Of course, you can, Soph. Thank you, Flora.”

“Can they meet my Nana too?” Sophie asks tentatively, as if unsure of herself.

Liam pretends to think about it, looking up at the ceiling and tilting his head before looking at Harry with a smirk. “I think Nana would love that.”

The girls squeal and Harry shakes his head, chuckling. Liam looks down to see Harry’s shirt ride up a bit on his sides, exposing a bit of a tattoo that Liam hadn’t seen before. His fingers itch to touch it.

“Girls, why don’t we let Liam go shower and then we can all have lunch,” Harry suggests, putting his hands on Flora’s shoulders again to help guide her to the door. “We can make pizza from scratch.”

“What does that mean,” Sophie asks as Liam puts her down.

“It means that we get to make the pizza all by ourselves. Like making a cake from the beginning,” Harry explains. He gently sends them out the door, turning around to face Liam. “You have any clothes?”

“I have some from my trip that I didn’t use,” Liam answers. He tries to bite down the yawn that comes as he looks down at his travel bag with disdain.

“Well if you need any clothes, you can take your pick from mine.” Harry comes forward quick to kiss Liam, startling Liam form his minor daze. “Hurry, though. I think Sophie might’ve missed you more than she’s letting on.”

“Harry,” Liam says as Harry tries to leave the room. “Thank you.” Liam hopes that Harry can see how earnest he is.

Harry just smiles and nods, “Anytime, Liam.” He leaves the room quickly because there is a crash in the kitchen.

Liam would like to explain how and what he’s feeling, because he’s feeling lighter and content, like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He wants to grab Harry back, to just sit and explore him a bit more, but he knows it’s not the time. He’s not even asked Harry out on a date first, but they’re going to have to remedy that soon.

 

Liam and Harry sit on the couch in Harry’s living room, the girls fast asleep in front of them for a mid-afternoon nap. Harry had shifted from sitting beside Liam to laying his head on Liam's lap with a sneaky grin. It felt like nothing had changed but it had. They are awkward around the girls, but as soon as Harry had heard snoring from Flora, he’d turned the TV on low and changed positions. They hadn’t had time to talk about last night or anything really, not with Flora and Sophie demanding their full attention. They weren’t tip toeing around each other, because Harry had given Liam small touches for the past three hours and Liam had recuperated, but it still felt like something was missing.

Liam looks down at Harry with a goofy smile, his hand weaving through Harry’s hair. Harry’s eyes are closed and content, one hand gripping Liam’s hand to his chest.

"This is nice,” Harry says, opening his eyes to catch Liam’s. “Like really, really nice.”

“I haven’t felt like this in a while,” Liam responds truthfully. He wants to sit there and just hold Harry. This is something he’s missed, just having someone to hold. He remembers the months after Isabelle left, where he couldn’t sleep because he’d been so used to having someone next to him. He’d slept with Sophie close to him for weeks until he was ready to sleep on his own.

“Will it be terrible if we take this moment to talk about this? About us?”

“Not terrible, Liam.” Harry deadpans, grinning when Liam pushes him away. Harry settles back against Liam’s lap and takes Liam’s hand again, this time his thumb rubbing circles into Liam’s skin. It’s overwhelming, this intimacy but not in a bad way. Liam wants to do so many things, feels so many things, but he settles with squeezing Harry’s hand, hoping Harry understands.

“I really, really like you,” Liam begins, his eyes moving from Harry’s face to around the room as he thinks of what else to say. He’s not had to talk about his feelings like this in a while, but he sees that both he and Harry needs this. Transparency is key, Liam knows that.

“Good because I really, really like you too. Just in case kissing you and letting you sleep in my bed wasn’t enough for you to know that,” Harry responds. He sits up again, keeping Liam’s hand gripped in his as he turns to fully face him. Liam sees his smirk and shakes his head with a chuckle. God, he wishes he was as easy going as Harry is in this moment.

“You’re teasing me.” Liam pouts playfully. He feels his chest expand with admiration and something akin to love.

“You’re easy to tease.” Harry’s eyes crinkle, his dimples showing in full as he moves to bump his nose with Liam. It’s the cutest and most cliché thing Harry could have done and Liam isn’t ashamed to eat it all up.

“Hmm, somehow I’m not offended by that.”

Harry chuckles, “What else were you gonna say?”    

Liam sighs, scratching the back of his neck, “We are both gonna put Soph and Flora first.”

“Their friendship, too,” Harry agrees. He looks over at the girls sleeping, his eyes becoming serious. Liam knows that look, he’s sure it’s mirrored on himself too. These girls are their entire world and it’s them before he and Harry. That’s as it should be.

“If things get too much we have to tell the other. I don’t know about Flora, but this is Sophie’s very first friendship that’s gone this far.”

“Flora’s too. I think she worships the floor Sophie walks on.” Harry doesn’t say it with any malice, instead he seems grateful for it. Liam understands that, with their busy schedules, it wasn’t surprising for either of them to have no time before to help their daughters form friendships with other girls.

“Same with Sophie, I can tell you that for sure,” Liam shakes his head, “She hasn’t shared Ellie the Elephant with anyone except my family. You and Flora seem to be the only exception.”

Harry looks over at Sophie and his eyes soften a tenfold. Liam wants to reach out and tell Harry just how much that look means to him. It’s that acceptance again, but this time it’s mixed with a fondness. He hopes Harry see’s that deep fondness he has for Flora.

“So, the girls come first. But next comes us,” Liam swallows, knowing he’s got to do some self-disclosure. Harry deserves that much. “I’m- I don’t really know what exactly Nelle did to fuck with my insecurities just yet. I haven’t had time to really explore that because Sophie always came first. But I can tell you now that communication is a must for me.”

Harry nods his understanding, his hair falling in front of his eyes. Liam pushes it away before Harry can get to it. “I have a request too. If we aren’t feeling this anymore, if for whatever reason you’re not sure if this is going to work out and are not willing to try, then we have to tell each other immediately. Isabelle and I- we tried   for a few months after finding out she was pregnant and after Flora was born. But neither of us was in it. We were glorified roommates with a child. It… it was exhausting. And now with Flora and Sophie? It wouldn’t be good to lead them on for any more than necessary.”

Liam watches as Harry starts to play his fingers, a warmth settling deep into his bones. It’s a miracle really, that their similar situations lets them have the same wants and needs from the other. At this point in Liam’s life, it’s all he really needs. He doesn’t know how this all fell into his hands, but he’s so thankful to whatever divine being blessed him.

“You’ve got my word, Harry. I want this,” Liam declares, his hand moving to cup the back of Harry’s head. “I want to try this out and see where it goes.”

“Are you sure,” Harry asks. “Because if you’re not, I totally under-”

Liam leans in closer, “No, I want to try this. It’s new for me but I haven’t- it’s been so long. Last night? This weekend? It meant more to me than you know.”

Harry is sheepish but he nods, showing his understanding. “I meant what I said before, anytime you need us, we are there.”

“I got that,” Liam teases. He closes his eyes as he breathes in deep, “We’ve got each other, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Harry agrees as he leans forward to kiss Liam. “I’ve got you.”

“Good because I may trip and stumble a lot through this. I haven’t been with anyone since Nelle,” Liam tries to chuckle but it comes out a bit strangled. “But this is different for me, okay? Nelle… Nelle and I got married when we found out about her pregnancy. It was a rash decision, and I’m not saying I didn’t love her, but for me it was hard when she left us. I had a toddler all on my own and it was more than difficult to maneuver a child and school. But with our situations being so similar…”

“You feel like you can trust me,” Harry continues for him, nodding.

“Not only trust you, Harry,” he pauses, trying to think of how best to explain his emotions. “Ever since I saw you at the school I was pulled to you. Flora is as important to you as Sophie is to me, but it’s more than that. I wouldn’t go into this if it wasn’t, okay? You make me feel alive again.”

“I can assure you, you were alive before me,” Harry smirks just a bit to show Liam he’s teasing and Liam barks a laugh.

“Oi, shut it,” Liam replies, shaking his head. “Like right now? This all feels natural. I’m not hiding anything from you, because you are accepting Sophie fully. She and I are package deal. Just as you and Flora are a package deal. With other people, I was always afraid they wouldn’t accept me with her. But you are.”

“I am,” Harry nods, “Just like you’re accepting Flora.”

“Yeah,” Liam smiles wide as he leans forward again to kiss Harry. “So, I’m ready to go all in. I’ve never wanted to try something, not since Sophie’s mum, not until you.”

"Well that’s really reassuring,” Harry whispers, his lips quirking up on one side, “Because I really want this too.”

“And thank fuck for that,” Liam laughs. He feels light and easy again, like everything they needed to put out is there and agreed upon.

 

 ~

 

Liam is nervous. He has his first official date with Harry tonight, but that’s not why he’s nervous. Harry asked his mum to babysit the girls for the night and morning, and Liam hasn’t had to meet a partner's parent since Nelle. He hasn’t forgotten what to do but his nerves are going a bit haywire.  

“Daddy, are you okay?” Sophie asks as he carries her up Harry’s steps. Liam blinks at her, coming out of his nervous thoughts with surprise.

“Yeah, baby girl. I’m alright,” Liam soothes, giving her a sheepish smile. Sophie accepts this, wiggling out of his grasp so that she can ring Harry’s doorbell.

“I can’t wait to Granma Anne,” Sophie beams, rolling back and forth on her heels, “Flora said she was bringing chocolate chip cookies again!”

Liam doesn’t have time to reply as the front door opens and Liam finds himself face to face with Harry’s mum, Anne.

“Hello Sophie dear,” Anne exclaims, bending down to give Sophie a hug. “You look right chipper.”

“Yes, yes! I brought Ellie and my pj’s!” Sophie shows Anne her back pack with pride, high fiving Anne when she offers her hand. Liam is standing by sheepishly but after he sees that Anne and Harry have the same radiant smile, he begins to relax.

“Hello, Liam,” Anne says as she stands up, shocking him as she grabs him in a hug. “I’m a hugger.” She says as a way of explanation. Liam accepts this as true, it seems all of Harry’s family are huggers.

“Hiya, Mrs. Twist,” Liam replies, “I- we brought you flowers.” Liam holds the flowers out to her when she let’s go, relaxing even more when Harry moves into the threshold.

“Please, call me Anne. And thank you for the flowers, Liam,” Anne beams, smelling the yellow roses that Liam had actually nabbed from Harry’s shop. “But shouldn’t Harry be getting them?”

“Harry? I think he has enough flowers to last him a life time,” Liam joked, “besides he gets dinner tonight.”

“Hiya Liam,” Flora yells as she runs towards them from the living room. “Sophie!”

“Hey, Flora.” Liam waves, his body filling with that warmth he always feels when the four of them are together. Liam can’t help but think about when Flora was first around him, those first couple of days where she would shyly wave at him in the school hallway before following Sophie into their classroom. Now, she doesn’t even blink an eye before beaming up at him. It helps him feel grounded and welcome.

“He’s ready if you wanna take him,” Anne winks, smirking when Harry chortles.

“She’s already trying to kick me out,” Harry explains, stepping out from the threshold. Here Liam has a better view of him and Harry leaves him feeling breathless. He’d not been paying much attention before, not with his attention being solely on Anne and making a good impression. Harry looks, well he looks breathtakingly beautiful. He’s wearing a white silk dress shirt that has two buttons undone, his collar bone showing to reveal the tail ends of his swallow tattoos. His trousers were his normal black skinny jeans, and Liam would be lying if he didn’t want to skip dinner altogether.

“Oh, hush,” Anne chuckles, shoving at Harry as she huddles the girls in the house. “Have fun and use protection!” She closes the door before either Harry or Liam could say goodbye to their kids or respond to that.

Liam’s face is turning pink but Harry just flashes him a cheeky and sheepish grin when he starts to rub the back of his neck. “We did ask her to spend the night,” Harry offers as explanation for his mother's behavior.

“Come on then, before we’re late for our reservations,” Liam diverts, as he grasps Harry’s hand tentatively.

“Well, well, well, Mr. Payne,” Harry smirks, gripping Liam’s hand back with a wink, “Looks like I’m all yours for the evening.”

Liam doesn’t blush this time, because all of what Harry says goes straight to Liam’s groin. He grips Harry’s hand just a bit tighter, “That I do, Mr. Styles.” Liam knows exactly when Harry takes in Liam’s newly heated expression because Harry does the most sinful thing Liam has seen; he bites his lip.

It’s a silent decision to keep going to the car, because both want to do this the right way. They haven’t had much time alone like this, not without one or both of them being exhausted by the day. But this Friday? Liam is pumped full of adrenaline and nerves. They make it to the restaurant, one of the fancier ones that Liam’s wanted to try for a while now.

“You know, I never thought my life was going to be like this,” Harry says once they’ve ordered their food.food. “I never thought I’d end up with a child at 21 or that I’d be running a florist shop, let alone two florist shops. I thought I was going to be a teacher.”

“A teacher?”

“Yeah,” Harry becomes sheepish, “I wanted to teach music. That’s what I went to uni for before I dropped out. I was working at the flower shop part time and just made it full time.”

“To take care of Flora?” Liam knows that struggle, the long nights of studying while balancing Sophie on one thigh while a law book in the other. It took him longer to get through law school, but his job wasn’t too bad. He wasn’t a barrister, he was a solicitor which meant a lot of desk work but it paid well.

“Yeah,” Harry laughs suddenly, “I remember when she got old enough to walk around, I’d take her some days to work with me. She loves flowers and would help water them and cut the stems. My boss loved her to death and she was a quiet baby. Customers loved her and I’m so sure she brought in most of the customers. A little shy cheerleader.”

“Sophie would’ve broken everything,” Liam chuckles, “She was so loud and active, a storm to reckon with. I’d drop her off at my mum’s for the day, go to class, pick her up and then study. I don’t know how I made it through but here we are.”

“Here you are,” Harry repeats, grinning as he sits back in his seat to really appraise Liam. “It’s weird that it’s just us, isn’t it?”

“No screaming girls, cooking, or clean up. I’d say it was a need to get away.”  

“We needed this,” Harry laughs, shaking his head. “God, we needed this.”

“All thanks to your mother,” Liam says, chuckling. “She has hopeful plans for us tonight.”

“So, do I,” Harry starts, looking up at Liam with heated gaze. “Is that wrong to assume?”

Liam doesn’t what to say or do in that moment as he watches Harry lean forward, his shirt coming forward to expose more of his chest. It’s deliberate and so sexy that it has Liam shifting his legs uncomfortably, reaching to adjust himself. “No, it’s pretty much a guarantee.”

“Good.” Harry replies, leaning back against his seat as he winks.

Their dinner is served soon after that but all Liam can really think about is that guarantee. They talk about so many things other than their children, and Liam sees a bigger side to Harry. He sees a man who is authentically himself in every way, down to the way he eats, with his tongue coming out to catch any food that might have fallen. Liam knows he’s so far gone for Harry that it’s only a matter of time before he blurts it out. It was a struggle even then not to say anything to Harry, because he was just so overwhelmed with all that he was thinking and feeling.

Once the dessert was served, a classic fluffy, Liam felt Harry’s foot move up his. It’s then he knows it’s time for the check and time to go home.

They make it into the house and up the stairs without tripping so Liam will call it one of the small miracles of the night. Harry's hands seem to be everywhere and he's pulling Liam's shirt from his trousers quick and easy. The moment Harry's hands make contact with Liam's back, Liam has to break free from their kiss to moan as he rests his head against Harry's shoulder. They're both breathing heavily, everything feeling beautiful and raw and everything Liam has wanted for so long. He feels the need so deep in his bones and he has to try and ground himself to keep from them moving faster than either of them truly want.

"Slower?" Harry breathes out, his hands moving along Liam's skin in soothing motions.

"Please." Liam says into Harry's shoulder, nodding his head. He's fine after a moment, composed enough to lead Harry into his bedroom.

"I've been waiting a little too long for this," Harry admits. He smirks as he pulls Liam with him to the bed and removes Liam's belt with ease. Liam groans as Harry palms him and watches through hooded eyes as Harry bites his lip. It's wicked and beautiful, it leaves Liam wanting so much more.

"Then let's stop waiting," Liam proposes, moving forward even more until Harry's legs hit the bed. "Get on the bed."

Harry complies, but not before taking his shirt off and throwing it behind Liam.

Liam has seen Harry shirtless before, they've slept together shirtless, but now? Now it's on display and there for Liam to trace, kiss, and nip at to his heart's content. He somehow knows Harry would love it, would love to have every part of his skin touched. He wants to leave Harry so overwhelmed that he's begging.

Liam kisses his way up Harry's chest, his hands firmly moving up from his stomach to his chest. He can feel Harry's muscles jump under his fingertips, with Harry groaning maddeningly.

"Liam, you can tease me later," Harry breathes out, pulling Liam up so that they are face to face.

"But that'd be no fun," Liam replies, smirking as Harry pouts.

Harry doesn’t respond, he just flips them over and tugs down Liam's pants and underwear. He smiles up at Liam, moving down further to kiss up Liam's thigh.

"What happened to no teasing?" Liam groans, his hands tightening against the bed sheets.

"Like you said, that'd be no fun." Harry winks, continuing to kiss up. Harry's careful and thoughtful, making sure he ghosts around Liam's navel, causing Liam's stomach to clench as he gets harder.

"Harry, for the lo- fuck." Harry watches Liam under hooded eyes as he takes him into his mouth, careful and meticulous to give Liam his full attention. It's been too long, too fucking long. Liam feels like he's in heaven or that he might be going crazy because Harry's mouth is blissful. He knows he's saying mindless words now, just babbling what he hopes are words of encouragement. Harry stops suddenly, just as Liam got close enough for release and his smirk up at Liam goes straight down to his toes.

"I wasn't counting on you to be such a damn tease," Liam says, breathing hard as he pulls Harry up to kiss him. He wants release but he's willing to wait. He grasps at Harry, finding his underwear as a barrier. He makes Harry turn over, pushing him down as they both take off Harry's underwear.

Liam wants to encase this moment in his memory. Of Harry, ready and waiting for him, his eyes dark and his lips swollen. He's feeling so many things in that moment but he decides that they both need relief.

Liam take Harry in his mouth and begins to bob. Harry's moans make Liam even harder, if that were even possible. He's thrashing too, and Liam puts his hands to stop Harry from bucking against him.

"Fuck, Liam," Harry groans, his hands coming to ball in Liam's hair. "I'm gonna- fuck."

Liam relishes this feeling, this feeling of him giving something to Harry. He's been thinking about this for weeks, and finally they are here and Harry's under him sounding sinful. It's more than any fantasy of his could have concocted, reality giving him much better things. Harry comes after a moment, Liam's name on his tongue as he grabs for the sheets around him.

Liam's throbbing when he kisses his way up Harry's chest again, Harry's breathing becoming calmer by the second.

"That was- fuck, Liam, that was amazing."

"Good," Liam replies, moving Harry's sweaty hair pieces from his face as he misses him, "might've thought I was out of practice but it's good to know you approve."

"Oh, I do," Harry teases, sitting up so that he's leaning into Liam. "Now let me take care of you."

Liam watches as Harry takes Liam in his hands, slow and subtle. Harry watches Liam as he takes Liam's tip in his mouth first, licking and nipping. Liam's already so close that once Harry's takes him all in, he's coming hard. Harry continues his ministrations until Liam's done.

Liam finds Harry snuggling close to him after that, both of them bone tired but satiated. Liam can't remember a time where he’s felt that fulfilled.

"You're brilliant," Liam whispers, kissing Harry soft and slow.

"So are you," Harry whispers back, his grin dazzling even in the dark light.

Liam wants to say so much more. It'd felt so right in his mind, but he's not sure how Harry would react. They were to take this slow, for the girls’ sake and their own. And Liam would be damned if he didn't want it all with Harry but he knew slow was the only way to go for them.

 

 ~

 

It’s around eleven at night and Liam’s eyes can barely stay open. The pages and words in front of him blend together and he isn’t even sure that he is getting any of the information from them. It’s been three days of this, just a constant busy schedule of trying to review the court documents to try and find something better to go on than the current argument. He’d put Sophie in bed in the other room, and his desk is cluttered with nonsensical things. He can feel his eyes close shut, not being fully able to keep them open anymore, and it’s then he decides to go to bed.

He grabs his phone and he’s that he has a missed call from Harry a few minutes before, which is odd because they’d just had dinner early. He calls back, a little more awake than before.

“Liam?” Harry sounds stressed, an emotion that Liam has never seen Harry exhibit.

"Yeah, Harry, what’s wrong?” Liam is fully alert now, and he begins to hear whimpering in the background.

“It’s Flora,” Harry breathes, his voice rocky. “I think she has food poisoning. Are you and Sophie okay?”

Liam goes into peak in Sophie’s room, seeing her snuggling into her stuffed elephant, “Yeah, we’re both okay. How many times has she thrown up?”

“Twice already, and I think she’s calmed down but I wouldn’t be surprised if she threw up again,” Harry answers, “She’s been asking for Sophie, and god, I know this is a bad time-”

“I’m coming over,” Liam says, going into the bathroom to splash some water on his face. “Do you need me to get pedialyte? I can stop by the corner store and get some.”

“Please, if you can,” Harry replies. Liam hears Flora ask for Sophie, her voice croaky and low. Harry shushes her carefully and Liam can just picture them sitting on Flora’s bed with Harry rubbing her back for comfort. “Thank you, Liam. I know it’s late and you have work tomorrow.”

“I can change at your house in the morning, plus I can go in a bit late tomorrow,” Liam says, grabbing his and Sophie’s toothbrush and his deodorant. He knows what he needs to get for himself and he’s trying to make a mental list for Sophie to see what exactly she might need for tomorrow.

“Thank you all the same.” Liam pauses in his movements as he hears the sincerity in Harry’s voice. He realizes what Harry is feeling, because he has felt it whenever Sophie would get sick and he’d frantically call his mother for help.

“I’ll be there soon,” Liam says and they make their goodbyes quickly.

He’s there within the hour, having woken up Sophie and making a pit stop to a corner store. Sophie is fully awake and worried, and she has Ellie the Elephant in her hand to give to Flora because, “Ellie makes me feel better when I’m sick so Flora can borrow her.” Liam would be lying if he said that didn’t make his heart sing.

Harry opens the door and the first thing Liam sees his Harry hair in disarray and his eyes are wide with concern and stress. He looks relieved though, and he puts his arms out to take Sophie from Liam.

“Harry,” Sophie says, “Is Flora still sick?”

“Yeah, Soph. She’s been asking for you, do you wanna head upstairs and see her?” Sophie nods her head, and Harry gently drops her. She bolts for the staircase.

“How is she now?” Liam asks, heading into the kitchen with all of his supplies.

“She threw up again after I called you, but I don’t think she has anything left in her for anymore. She’s just been crying because everything hurts.”

Liam nods, taking out the acetaminophen and pedialyte. He knows he’s gone into full on protective parent mode, and he hopes he’s not stepping on Harry’s toes as he grabs a spoon and a sippie cup and heads upstairs. “These will help her. I brought acetaminophen for the stomach pains and pedialyte for the dehydration.”

Harry nods, relieved. He follows Liam up the stairs, at one point taking a hold of Liam’s wrist and squeezing. Liam knows he’s thankful and nods, taking charge as Liam only knows how.

Sophie is whispering to Flora who looks absolutely miserable but she’s smiling a small smile as Sophie hands her Ellie the Elephant. She looks up at Liam as he approaches, pulling Ellie in closer.

“Hiya Flo,” Liam whispers, getting on his knees beside Sophie to give Flora a closer inspection. “How you doin', sweetheart?”

“Better,” Flora manages, looking up at Harry. Liam looks behind him to see that Harry is waiting behind them. He motions for Harry to join them and Harry does, coming up on the other side of Flora’s bed and takes one of her hands.

“Can I give you something to make you feel even better?” Liam pulls his arms up to show Flora the two bottles. She makes a face and looks at Harry for guidance. He nods his accent and Flora turns back to Liam tentatively.

“Don’t worry! My daddy can make you all better. He gots the good medicine,” Sophie says matter-of-factly.

"Okay,” Flora nods. She looks between Liam and Harry as she continues, “Can Sophie sleep in my bed tonight?”

Harry looks at Liam for his answer. Sophie hadn’t had the same food as Flora and she hadn’t started showing any signs of illness, so Liam had no problem with it. “Of course, she can. I think she’d like it a lot.”

“I do, I do,” Sophie agreed, nodding vigorously to show Flora her excitement.

“Wanna try to take some medicine now? You both can sleep after that,” Liam suggests, putting both bottles and the sippie cup on the bedside table. Flora follows his movements with a bit of trepidation, but she nods her assent. Liam pours the syrup on the spoon and Flora takes it down diligently. He then puts the pedialyte into the sippie cup, filling it halfway and hands it to Flora. “You gotta drink at least half of this, okay sweetheart?”

“Okay.” He smiles down at Flora and kissed her forehead, moving the hair from her forehead. She looks miserable, but he can see that she’s looking better as she begins to sip the pedialyte. Liam gets up, picking up Sophie as he goes. He goes to the door, and they both look over at Harry whispering to Flora, putting his head to hers. He looks even more exhausted than Liam feels, and he wonders if Flora has ever gotten this sick before.

“Hey Soph?” Sophie turns to look at him expectantly. He notices her childlike concern and Liam nuzzles her cheek affectionately, trying to calm her a bit. “You make sure Flora finishes her drink. And if she starts to feel sick again, come get me or Harry, okay?”

“Okay, daddy,” Sophie nods, determined in her new set of tasks.

"You both get some sleep, though. I don’t want you guys staying up late. Flora needs her sleep so she gets better quicker.” Sophie nods her head in understanding and Liam is surprised she doesn’t try and contradict him.

Harry gets up finally, smiling at Liam and Sophie as he opens the covers for Sophie to join Flora. Sophie nearly jumps from Liam’s arms and gets into the bed quickly. He tucks them in, giving them both a kiss on the head before he walks up to Liam. Liam is struck by the scene before him, the familiarity and the fact that it doesn’t seem new at all to Liam. Like this has all happened before, that’s it’s been part of his life just as long as Sophie has. He hadn’t batted an eye when he’d given Flora a forehead kiss, or stopped for a moment to think of saying no to Harry when he called for help. It all just seems natural and normal. It leaves Liam feeling dazed and he only comes back when he feels Harry’s hand take his own.

Harry leans against him instantly when they close the door, leaving Flora’s night light on. Liam wraps an arm around him, taking most of his weight as he guides the both of them to Harry’s room.

“She’s gonna be okay,” Liam reassures him when he steers Harry towards the bed. “She’s a strong one.”

“She is,” Harry nods, looking up at Liam as Liam begins to take off the jacket he’s wearing and puts it on the rocking chair in the corner. “Thank you, Liam. For everything.”

“I’ve got you both,” Liam replies. He’s too tired to care about stripping in front of Harry, and he climbs into bed next to him without another word. Harry turns off the bedside lamp, leaving them bathed in darkness finally.     

“I’ve got you both, too,” Harry whispers into Liam’s shoulder, turning to face Liam. “Whatever, whenever.”

Liam doesn’t respond but he pulls Harry closer and puts his hand on Harry’s cheek. He doesn’t try and kiss Harry, just puts his forehead against Harry’s.

"You know, if we both weren’t so tired, I’d be ravishing you,” Harry says, yawning suddenly.

“I’ll take a rain check on that,” Liam chuckles, “Now can we please sleep?”

“Yeah.” Harry nods, moving so that his back is to Liam’s chest. “Night, Li.”

“G’night Haz.” Liam feels like something is missing but he has to stop himself from thinking about it, because it’s just too soon. Maybe one day, but for right now, he’s content with where they all are.

 

 ~

 

“Do you know my favorite part of being a dad?” Liam stares up at the ceiling, throwing up one of the girls toys up in the air and catching it. They’re in the living room, having just made the girls go to sleep in Sophie’s room. They put a fight, but Liam persuaded them with a _Frozen_ storybook. He waits for Harry’s response, and when he gets none he looks over at Harry to see Harry staring back at him. He continues on, “Even without a mom, Sophie never wanted for anyone else. She doesn’t ever make me feel like I’m not enough for her, like she needs her mother.”

Harry nods, looking down at his jeans and pulling at a strand on the side. “She’s never asked about her mother?”

“She has, but just questions. She never complained about it or cried about it. She has always had my sisters and mother; she has me.”

“Flora facetimes with Isabelle every night, and at first she had questions and sometimes she’d cry because she wanted a mother to be around. She’d see little girls on the playground with their mothers and she had so many questions. But Flora’s stopped asking now. This is our normal, you know?”

“Yeah,” Liam responds, “How did you take it?”

“It hurt me, because like you said, it made me feel like I wasn’t enough for her. But it’s been the two of us for so long, and it’s finally calmed down. I never told Isabelle about Flora’s emotions. She was seeing someone new, she is half way across the world and I never expected her to move back to England. Did I ever tell you Isabelle got remarried?”

 Liam shakes his head.

“Yeah, a few months ago. We got to go, but I could tell Flora was sad. I swear I could see the wheels turning in her head about what it all could mean. She wanted to leave as soon as the ceremony was over. She asked me why Isabelle and I weren’t married, and I had to explain to her how love worked. I won’t ever let her know that Isabelle’s pregnancy was accidental, no child deserves to be told that. She will understand later, but for now I didn’t want her to be sad.

“Gemma came for a visit after the trip. I don’t know what I would’ve done without Gemma being there to help Flora,” Harry sighs, rubbing at his eyes. “I think what Flora was feeling was that she didn’t want to talk to me about it. She talked to Gemma, but even Gemma wouldn’t tell me most of what was said. She was sparing me, I know that, but it was still hard not knowing.”

            “It would’ve been harder knowing,” Liam reasons, knowing first-hand what that feels like. “Nelle, she may have broken my heart but what she did to Sophie was worse. And I knew exactly why she’d left us. She’d cheated on me and ran away because she couldn’t handle being a mother. But,” Liam pauses, going for Harry’s hand to squeeze it, “Flora has you, Harry, just like Sophie has me.”

“And now she has you too,” Harry replies, moving so that he’s fully facing Liam. “And Sophie. We are in this together now, yeah?”

Together, the words breathe a sigh of relief in for Liam. He doesn’t care about how fast things are going right now, or if things seem like they are going fast. This feels right. It feels like an anchor that he’s needed for a while now, a partner who shares his vision for the future, someone he genuinely cares about and wants to learn more about. He looks at Harry and see’s the sun, blinding in his beauty and warmth. He looks at both Flora and Sophie and see’s love and happiness. He feels set, like he’s want for nothing or anyone else. It’s consuming, is what it is. _Together._

“Yeah, Haz,” Liam relies, moving forward to kiss him, “We’re in this together.”

 

 ~

 

“You’re bein’ annoying,” Liam groans, tucking his head under the pillow. It had to be early morning, from what Liam can discern, and Harry is moving about restlessly. The night before the four of them had stayed up and watched _Sofia the First_ , which Liam will admit he likes better than any of the other weird shows Disney has. Harry had hit the bed as soon as he could, leaving Liam to carry the girls into Sophie’s room, and tucking them in.

“I think what you mean is I’m endearing.” Liam doesn’t have to look at Harry to know that Harry has a shit eating grin, and he startles a bit as he feels Harry’s fingers ghost on the underside of his arm.

“No, I mean you’re annoying,” Liam reiterates, moving so that he’s facing Harry. “Why are you up so early, go back to sleep.”

“I _can’t_ ,” Harry breathes out, his arms fanning out and hitting Liam in the process. “Come on, I want to make pancakes before the girls wake up.” Liam peaks his eyes open again to look at the clock on Harry’s bedside table. He groans and turns around again, tucking himself more safely under the heat of the blanket.

“Harry, they won’t be up for another two hours.”

“Okay, but we can be up,” Harry replies, his hand sneaking along Liam’s back, his hands colder than Liam would like.

“ _You_ can be up, I want two more hours of sleep. Now go away,” Liam grumbles. He feels Harry flop on the bed again. It’s another ten minutes and Liam is so tired but his brain just won’t stop thinking. “What’s wrong, Harry?”

There is nothing from Harry, so Liam turns to look at him and he’s fast asleep. Liam groans again and settles down before he too is fast asleep.

Liam wakes up about an hour later, the sun streaming in front of his eyes and Harry is turned away, his legs interwoven with Liam’s. Liam groans a bit, with Harry's feet being decidedly cold. The clock reads 7:02 and Liam curses his internal clock. He slips out of bed carefully, making his way downstairs to start up breakfast.

He gets the coffee started, thanking everything that is holy for Harry having a simple coffee machine. He’s preparing the ingredients for pancakes and eggs, pulling them out of the refrigerator, when he feels Harry’s arms wrap around his middle from behind.

“So, now you want to get up,” Harry says, his voice gravely. Liam would be lying if he didn’t find Harry’s early morning voice to be the hot as hell.

“Not an hour ago you were jumping in circles and when I wake up you’re out heavy,” Liam admonishes, turning around so that Harry has his back pinned to the counter top. “I think if anyone should be called out, it’s you.”

“How about we call it even and just enjoy the silence of the morning,” Harry counters, his nose nudging just under Liam’s jaw line. “You smell like me.”

“And?” Liam leans back to smirk at Harry, but Harry has other plans as he leans further to kiss Liam.

“And it’s fucking hot, is what it is.” Harry kisses him deeper, his hands moving up and down Liam’s back as Liam moves a hand into Harry’s hair. Harry’s still got morning breath and Liam’s lips feel chapped but neither try to move away.

“God, your ego is something,” Liam laughs, shaking his head. His hand is still in Harry’s hair, the moment so tender and innocent. Liam feels things start to fall in place.

“You’re something,” Harry replies fondly. They kiss slowly, the smell of coffee wafting around them. It’s quiet and the feel of Harry against him is grounding for Liam.

Their bubble is popped suddenly when they hear a, “what are you doing?” from the kitchen doorway. Liam looks to see both Sophie and Flora staring up at them, confused and suspicious.

“Um… well… you see,” Liam tries to begin, but he finds he’s to flustered to even try to explain to them what exactly they were doing. “We were kissing, Soph.”

“But I thought only married people do that,” Sophie says, her eyes squinting in suspicion. “Like Nana and Grampa.”

“Married people kiss,” Liam agrees. He can feel his face burning at this point, and he finds it's too early to have this kind of talk with the girls. “But if you like someone then you can kiss them, too.”

“I like Flora, can I kiss her like that?” Sophie looks perplexed between he and Harry and Liam can feel a headache coming on. It doesn’t help when he feels Harry snickering beside him.

“No, baby girl,” Liam replies, trying his hardest to stay calm. He motions for them to come forward as he kneels before them. “You see, Harry and I really really like each other. Like your grandma’s and grandpa’s do. You only kiss people on the lips when you are older and… I want to kiss Harry because he’s very pretty and I like him a lot. Does that make sense?” Liam can feel his calm slipping, because his explanation is horrid. He looks up at Harry for help, but Harry only waves his hand as he continues to snicker.

“So, like a boyfriend and girlfriend?” Flora asks quietly. Liam wants to hug her tightly for her quickness.

“Yeah, a bit like that.”

“Is that okay, pumpkin,” Harry asks, becoming serious as he kneels with Liam. “Are you both okay with that?”

They both wait as Sophie and Flora contemplate this, with Flora turning over to Sophie as they both make faces. “Will you kiss in front of us like Nana and Grampa?” Sophie asks, her face twisting in childish distaste.

“Not all the time,” Harry replies, grinning despite himself. “But do you know what will be a good thing?”

“What?” Flora asks, rubbing her stomach.

“It means that we will be hanging out more, and you both can play.”

“Really, Daddy?” Sophie moves forward to peer more closely at Liam, to gauge if they are telling the truth.

“Yeah, sweetheart. We can come here after school and do lots of fun things together. Would you like that?” Liam watches as Sophie shrieks, hugging Flora suddenly and they jump together.

“Flora, can you go with Sophie into living room, now? You guys can turn on a movie,” Harry offers, sensing that Liam might need a bit of quiet after that. Flora nods, grabbing Sophie’s hand as she leads Sophie out of the kitchen, the both talking animatedly.

“Oh, my god,” Liam exhales, putting his head against the fridge, “You were no help at all.”

“Don’t blame me. They were going to find out anyways,” Harry says this with a hint of indignation, but he’s soon laughing. “That was brilliant, by the way. Amazing communication skills.”

“Oh, shut up,” Liam groans, pushing Harry away as he tries to hug him. “Like you could have done any better.”

“Honestly?” Harry chuckles, “I don’t think it could have gone any better. But if they start kissing, I’m blaming you.”

"Harry?"            

“Yeah?”

“Shut up.”

Harry barks out a laugh, moving forward to peck Liam’s cheek. “Come on, you big grump. Let’s make breakfast.”

 

 ~

 

Liam’s trying his best to hold onto both Flora and Sophie as they tug him into the school happily. Liam starts to regret the milk and cookies he'd given them as breakfast that morning, but two little girls demanding for sugar was something he didn’t have the energy to fight. Harry had left early because a flower deliver was coming in from the countryside and they had come far earlier than Harry had planned. It was the first-time Liam had taken Flora to school, and he was relieved to see that she had no qualms about it. It probably had to do with Sophie being right there, but Liam liked to think that it was because Flora liked and trusted him.

He is more than happy to give them over to Mrs. Vazquez, who was waiting patiently by the door as Liam kneels down to talk to them. “You both be good, okay?” They both nod, moving back and forth on the balls of their feet in excitement.

“Of course, Daddy! Why wouldn’t we be good!” Sophie exclaims, pouting her mouth in affront. Flora follows suite, trying and failing to seem annoyed with Liam when he turns to give her a wink.

“I know you two will be the best for your teacher,” Liam reiterates, pulling them both in for a hug. “Have a good day.” Sophie nods and gives him a kiss on the cheek before booking it into the classroom. Flora stays behind, looking rather confused and thoughtful as she peers at Liam.

“Can I give you a kiss too?” Flora asks shyly, unsure of herself. If Liam wasn’t in public and didn’t think that him crying would scare Flora, he’d probably shed a tear in that moment.

“Of course, you can, sweetheart,” Liam says, putting his cheek out for her. She hesitates for a moment then hastily kisses his cheek and bolts for the classroom. He watches as Flora waves her goodbye, sitting by Sophie in the little circle they form in the morning before class starts. He catches the smile Mrs. Vazquez gives him, like she knows exactly what kind of emotions he’s feeling. He blushes and he leaves, dodging the mothers around him.

He touches his cheek like he doesn’t really believe it happened, because Flora isn’t his baby girl. He’d be lying if he didn’t start thinking of both Sophie and Flora as a twin pack now, because it’d been three months of this, of them spending time together and doing anything and everything as a unit between he and Harry. They have spent more time together at each other's houses than they did alone in their own houses. He’d be lying if he didn’t say he was getting attached to Flora, even before he and Harry started to go for a relationship. He saw the same thing in Harry for Sophie, and it’s what kept the both of them going. They were a unit now, for better or for worse.

He makes it to after lunch when he gets a phone call on his office phone. It’s an unidentified caller, but as a lawyer he doesn’t think much of it other than it might be a client calling and the receptionist had transferred the call over.

“Liam Payne,” he answers as he tries to tidy his desk.

“Hello, Liam.” He freezes, a sudden chill running down his back.

“Nelle?” Liam asks incredulously, getting up and beginning to pace. “Wha- what do you want?”

“Down to business so quickly? Don’t you want to talk for a bit before that?” Liam can hear the mockery and surprise in her voice, and he tries not to let the anger grow in him.

“What would we have to catch up on, Nelle? Since you left Sophie and I out of the blue and left me divorce papers on our bed? I think catching up would be pointless.” Liam tries to calm down, but it's been years since he’s seen or heard from Nelle. He can see red at the side of his vision as he leans against his desk on his fist.

“Fine,” she says, leaving him feeling the dread grip at his throat. “I want to see Sophie.”


	3. part 3

Part 3

**_It will always be you._ **

 

Liam doesn't remember calling Harry. His vision is only just clearing and his hands are still shaking as he paces up and down the short length of his office. He's panicking, can feel himself begin to shake with too many emotions. He hasn't talked to her since she'd left, not one fucking word because all divorce and custody battles were done via her lawyers and her parents. And now? Now she wants to see Sophie? He wants to scream and punch a wall, but mostly he just wants to go to school and grab his daughter and just leave. He doesn’t want to think about anything, because even if he has sole custody, Nelle has the right to see their daughter. That was the right her parents fought for her and was a point in their custody agreement. Liam thought she'd never come back, had hoped she'd never wanted to come back. He’d hoped she’d leave them alone, having made her life with someone new. He can’t imagine why she’d want to come back, but he knows she’s going to ruin everything if the courts do allow her to see Sophie.

When Liam grilled her on why, on what her purpose was, she’d laughed. It left Liam feeling cold. That’s when the anger set in. Liam wasn’t going to take this sitting down, not when it came to Sophie and her well-being at stake. He wasn’t going to allow Nelle to come in and leave without a trace. Sophie didn’t deserve that. Not ever. All Nelle had to say after that was that she was going to have her lawyer contact him and then she hung up.

It felt like a game. He’d never known Nelle to be that manipulative but if he looked back at their relationship, he can say that she was.

“Hello?” Harry answers, his voice sounding gruff and distracted.

“Nelle just called,” Liam says quickly, his voice coming out strangled and hoarse, as if he’d just screamed for an hour.

“What? Liam, breathe with me, what’d she want,” Harry soothes. Liam can hear the rustling and clinking of things in the background. He tries to picture Harry just finishing up cleaning the tin flower vases he has, to try and give himself something nice to think on but he can’t focus on anything but Nelle’s words.

“She wants to see Sophie. She doesn’t even want to co-parent Harry, she just wants to swoop in and ruin everything.” Liam furiously wipes at his eyes, angry at himself for even shedding tears over this. “I can’t- Harry, I can’t let her do that. Not to Sophie.”          

“Shhhhh, Liam, it’s going to be okay.” Harry speaks carefully. Liam shakes his head, as he sits down heavily on his chair.

“She’s going to ruin everything,” Liam repeats, his heart sinking. He feels helpless, as helpless as he did when Nelle had first left. The tears continue to fall, silent and Liam doesn’t bother rubbing them away. She’s reduced him to the person he was when she’d first left in that moment and he feels sick with that realization.

“She’s Sophie’s mother, Liam.” Liam blinks hard, the sinking feeling falling impossibly farther. “Sophie has a right to know her mother.”

“You can’t be serious,” Liam breathes, his voice cracking with emotion.

“Maybe she’s changed,” Harry offers, “Sophie deserves a chance to see her mother.” Harry tries to continue but Liam feels like throwing up again.

“I’ve got to go,” Liam declares, ending the call immediately. Liam will remember this differently later, the way that Harry tried to play devil's advocate for Sophie’s case, but in that moment, all Liam can think about is how Harry was making a case for Nelle.

He sits at his desk and just shakes. He feels anger and sorrow and a deep ache of abandon. He knows in the back of his mind that he’s being paranoid, but it feels like Nelle had just shaken his entire world again and Harry’s words had nailed his feelings into him that much harder.

He doesn’t think as he finally leaves his office and down the stairs. He calls his boss to let him know he’s taking the day off because of Sophie and he picks up Sophie from school. He ignores the buzzing of his phone and ends up turning it off. He doesn’t want to look or see what Harry has to say, not yet. He’s sure he looks a wreck as soon as the receptionist of Sophie’s school gives him a sympathetic look, but he can’t think of anything other than just having Sophie there with him.

Liam’s never picked Sophie up early before, but she takes one look at him and holds out her arms for him to pick her up. She waits until they’re out the door before she questions him, “What’s wrong, daddy?”

“Nothing's wrong, sweetheart,” Liam says, smiling as he nudges her cheek with his nose. “I thought it’d be a good day to just go have some fun.”

"Then why are your eyes red,” she asks, pursing her lips as she puts her small hands on his face to keep him looking at her. Liam pauses in front of his car and leans against it so that he can answer all of Sophie’s questions as the come.

“Daddy got soap in his eyes,” Liam lies, chuckling as he takes hold one of her hands and kisses her knuckles. “It hurt a lot.”

“Can I kiss them and make them better?” Liam feels his eyes start to tear up at that, blinking them back quickly as he nods.

“I’d like that a lot, Soph.” Sophie nods in determination, making Liam hold her a bit higher so that she can reach his eyes better. She’s gentle with him, making sure to kiss his forehead as well. She looks down at him when she’s done, pursing her lips for a moment until she moves forward again to kiss his nose.

“All better, Daddy?”

“All better, sweetheart. Thank you,” Liam winks and has to clamp down on the emotions that begin to seize him again. “Let’s go get some fro-yo, yeah?”

“No gelato?” Sophie pouts causing Liam to smile.

“If we get frozen yogurt, then you can get gummy bears and chocolate drizzle,” Liam explains, opening the door to the car finally. “Is that okay? Then we can go home and watch Mulan.”

“Really, daddy?” Sophie asks, her eyes bugged out. Liam only allows movies on the weekends but he can’t think of anything that he’d rather do than to watch movies and snuggle with his little girl. He doesn’t want to think, doesn’t want to have a care, only wants to have Sophie by his side and for everything to be okay for a while.

“Yeah, Soph, really.” Liam knows he’ll have to call his lawyer soon and he’ll have to turn on his phone eventually, but he won’t. He just needs a few hours of just him and Sophie, no distractions.

 

~ 

 

It’s a few hours later when Liam finally plucks up the courage to turn his phone on. He sees three missed calls from Harry, several texts, and two voicemails, but Liam doesn’t care to open them in those moments. He can’t explain the hurt he feels. He can’t explain it other than betrayal. It’s stupid, but he feels so fucking betrayed that Harry would even try and make a cause for Nelle’s side. Nelle being allowed back into Sophie’s life would be the biggest mistake Liam could ever allow to happen. She’d walk out again, this time with Sophie old enough to understand why. He can’t even imagine having that kind of hurt, the idea of one of his own parents coming and going because they had some sort of sudden fancy to be a parent again after four years.

He doesn’t know if he should cry or throw things. It all comes rushing back. Liam has to lock himself in the bathroom to try and calm himself down so that Sophie won’t see. He knows Sophie knows something is wrong. He held her tight to him the entire movie and didn’t sing along with the songs as he normally does. He’d thought he’d be able to sit with her and just watch but the entire time his mind was racing.

He looks down at his phone again and calls Ryan, his lawyer to finally try to make a plan of action. He knows what he has to do, has been keeping this plan in the back of his mind for the last four years in case this would ever happen. He has to make an appeal, an injunction to the court as soon as Nelle’s lawyers contact him.

He calls his mother next. He hasn’t told her about Nelle yet and he’s not sure how she’ll react. He half wishes she’d come down to visit, but he’s not entirely sure if he could take his mother's worried looks. Sophie’s were bad enough.

"Hiya, Liam," his mother answers cheerfully. He can hear the sizzling of something through the phone and he can picture her standing by the stove, spatula in hand as she prepares dinner.

"Hey Mum," Liam replies, trying to feign being cheerful but it falls short.

"How are thing, love? How's Sophie? Your dad and I were thinking of coming down soon. We want to meet Harry and Flora terribly." He can hear his dads make a noise of agreement in the background, but his dad waits his turn to let Karen go on with the conversation.

"Things are..." Liam pauses as he sighs heavily, pushing away the emotions he's managed to keep at bay the whole afternoon for just a bit longer.  "Nelle called this morning. She wants to visit Sophie."

He waits for either of his parents to say anything, but it’s quiet on their end. He starts to hear the muffled talking of his parents, to which he slowly realizes his mother has had her hand over the microphone.

"How do you feel about that, Liam?" His mum asks, low enough to where Liam knows she's asking this cautiously.

"Like my worlds just been turned upside down. She laughed when I asked why she wanted to come back after all this time. She laughed, mum, like Sophie was something that could be played with. I don't want Sophie getting hurt." Liam feels his nostrils flare with anger again. Sophie wasn't someone Nelle could play with as she wanted. Sophie had a right to her mother but not if her mother was going to use her as some sort of pawn. Because that's exactly what it felt like Nelle was doing, playing Sophie as a pawn. He didn't know why, not with how far and how much effort Nelle had taken to leave without a glance back. She'd never fought for custody, she'd never cared about how Liam was gonna raise Sophie, or even sent anything on Sophie's birthday. Nothing.

"Have you talked to your lawyer? Can anything be done?" His dad asks this, his usual happy tone replaced with one more serious.

"Yeah, I called Ryan and we've set up a plan of action."

"And what about Harry and Flora? What does Harry think of all this," Karen asks next.  
Liam closes his eyes and shakes his head, sighing heavily. "Harry tried to play devil's advocate but I was too hurt to try and explain anything. I haven't talked to him since."

Karen tsks at him, leaving him feeling like a silly child. "Liam, you've got to talk to him. His situation with Flora's mum is much different than yours and Nelle. He has a different way of viewing this situation than you."

Mum, I know that. But he was supposed to have my back from the second I told him."

"What'd he say, love," Karen asks. 

"He said I should think of Sophie and that Nelle might've changed. I hung up the phone before he could say anything else."

"Liam," his mother reprimands him, "you've got to communicate with him. You can't shut down on him like that. Has he tried to call you back?"

Liam splutters, unable to answer that question properly. He knows his mum loves Harry already because she knows how much Harry means to him and how much Liam appreciates having someone else around.

"I'm going to guess he's tried to call you all day, hasn't he?" Liam gives a sound of agreement. "Talk to him, Liam. It'll make you both feel better and you can lean on him better through this. You're not alone until you make yourself alone." 

"I just need some time, mum," Liam tries to explain weakly, but it falls extremely short. 

"Well don't keep the poor man waiting long," Karen replies, serious. "Don't let this miscommunication create a wedge. Harry doesn't know Nelle like you or I do. You've just got to talk to him."

"I will, mum, I promise," Liam replies. His dad tells him to talk again with Ryan to make sure everything is in order before he makes his appeals to the court. His mum tells him to call if he or Sophie need anything, and before long Liam is sitting in his bedroom quietly, the sounds of the TV downstairs streaming up lowly as Sophie continues to watch. 

He stares down at his phone one last time, seeing the red dots of notifications on his messages and phone calls. Harry's sent two more texts, that much he can see, but again he turns off his phone before he tries to look at the contents. He goes back downstairs to Sophie instead, but he can't help but feel like a little shit towards Harry for his pettiness. He needs some time, because he'll be busy the next few days, but then he'll talk to Harry. When he's ready and when his hurt feelings are resolved.

 

~

 

Liam watches the parents and kids walk out of the school as he sits in his car, sulking to himself. He feels silly because honestly, waiting the crowd out until he could get Sophie from her classroom without having to see Harry was ridiculous. He knows what he's doing to Harry is childish, this tactic of avoidance, but he need some time. He knows that Harry was only being honest and empathetic to Sophie and a motherly bond she might want, but he wanted Harry on his side. And he knows that he himself hadn’t explained things properly, but he just needed time to think. Harry and his ex had a much better relationship than he and Nelle did. Nelle was supposed to stay in the past but here she was back again. She left Sophie behind without a mother to guide her, to nurture her and had left him behind for someone richer. And that's something Liam just can't allow to happen again.

So, the avoidance to went forward. He ignored texts and calls and finally, he knew Harry had gotten the message. Harry hadn't tried to text or call for the past day, and Liam was relieved even if he was a bit sad. A part of him wanted to talk to Harry, needed someone to be on his side that wasn’t his family. He took Sophie to school early, enrolling her into the early daycare they had for the week and getting her as late as possible from school. He watched Harry take Flora out the last two days before he made his way in to get Sophie. His only other excuse for this schedule was the time it gave Liam to sort out this situation with Nelle. He was meeting up with Ryan every morning to make a solid case for the appeals. He knows that Nelle has sway because she is the mother, but he’s cited her disappearance and sudden divorce as cause enough for why she shouldn’t be allowed to upend the life he’s had to create with Sophie alone. For that much, he can say he tried.

After he sees that Harry has left, he walks into the school to find Sophie waiting for him with her arms crossed against her chest. “Daddy, I want to go to Flora’s house.”

Liam is taken aback, but he’s not as surprised as he could be. It’s been six days since they’d been over at Harry’s and he’s sure Flora and Sophie are anxious to spend time together outside of school. It’s the longest they’ve gone without visiting the others house or hanging out, and he’d be lying if he said he didn’t feel their absence either. It’s hard, in that moment he has no idea what to say to Sophie. He feels even more childish as he tries to justify his poor decisions to his own daughter in his head, that he’s sure that whatever he tries aloud will sound even worse.

“Harry and I are having an argument,” he begins, wincing at how careful he sounds.

“Then stop fighting,” Sophie replies, as if it’s obvious. Liam finds that it is obvious but he splutters as he tries to come back with something better to say than, _I can’t_.

“It’s not that simple, Soph.” He says finally. “Sometimes grown-ups have arguments that last a long time. We just need some space away from each other.”

“That sounds silly,” Sophie discerns, pursing her lips and shakes her head. “Mrs. Vasquez says that when people get into arguments they need to use the friendship stick and talk to each other.”

“Mrs. Vasquez is a smart woman,” Liam replies, scratching the back of his head. They get to the car and Liam puts her into her seat.

“But, Daddy! You have to talk to Harry, he’s your friend!”

“He is my friend,” Liam agrees, watching as she buckles herself up before getting into the car himself.

"But you do know that Daddy's been very busy, yes? I'll talk to Harry soon, sweetheart. I just have to be ready, okay?"

"I miss him," Sophie whispers. Liam isn't sure he hears her correctly, but when he looks in the rearview mirror, he sees her sad eyes looking out the window.

"Me too, Soph, me too," he whispers to himself. And he does. He misses Harry's musk and Flora's soft sweet voice. He misses talking to Harry and just lounging together while Flora and Sophie are off running around playing. He misses Harry's smile and the way he winks at Liam when he's made a corny joke and Liam gives him a pity laugh. He misses Harry's high pitched laugh and his loud clap after Liam's said something funny. But most of all, he misses feeling like he has a unit. He'd be lying if he said Harry and Flora weren't family anymore.

He makes a pact with himself in that moment. He's going to talk to Harry, he will. But in the meantime, he's going to keep a steady head and catch up on all the work he's missed.

 

~ 

 

The house is quiet as Sophie gets settled in her room to sleep. Liam paces up and down the length of his room, his phone being wrestled between his hands and his mind going in all sorts of directions. It was hard trying to keep himself from calling Harry. Every time he goes through the contacts on his phone his finger would hover over Harry’s name.

He’d been busy the whole day, catching up on cases and calling Ryan for any updates. He hadn’t been able to truly think about his situation with Harry, one he’d let go out of hand.

He can’t bring himself to call Harry though. It’s not that he’s hurt anymore, because he’s not. He knows exactly what he has to do and say to Harry, and he knows he has to apologize. He needs to hear Harry’s voice, even if he is angry with Liam. Liam can’t say he doesn’t blame Harry if he were angry, because he’s angry at himself too. He let Nelle seep back into his periphery and he’s promised Harry that they’d communicate. But he hadn’t communicated. He’d miscommunicated and let that drive a wedge between he and Harry.

He stares down at the contact page on his phone, a picture of Harry and Flora as the caller ID picture. He remembers the night that Harry sent him that, just after Liam had come by for dinner with Sophie. It’s a picture of them on Flora’s bed, pulling funny faces. He can hear their laughs as Harry takes the selfie, can hear Harry tell Flora to make the silliest face she can so he can send it to he and Sophie. He’d sent one back the next morning, of he and Sophie eating chocolate chip pancakes with the caption ‘wish you were here.’ Harry had met up with him an hour later at school and had given Liam a kiss outside the school in the parking lot. He’d felt happy and light the rest of the day.

“Daddy?” Sophie calls from her bedroom, grounding Liam back into reality. He moves quickly, dropping his phone on his bed. He walks in to see Sophie deep within her covers, Ellie held between her arms tightly.

“You ready, sweetheart?”

Sophie nods her head, reaching out her hand for him to take. He sits on the edge of her bed and takes her outstretched hand, kissing her forehead.

“Daddy?” Sophie asks, looking suddenly confused.

“Yeah, Sophie?”

“Do you love Harry?” Sophie looks up at him perplexed, as if trying to put several pieces together in her head.

“Yes, he’s my friend,” Liam replies, stunned by the question.

“No but Flora says you and Harry are boyfriends. Do you love him like Nana and Grampa love each other?”

Liam pauses, unsure of how to answer her. It’s not a hard question at all, because for a long time he’s held his feelings for Harry at bay, not letting himself think too far ahead for Sophie and Flora’s sake. But ever since Nelle’s phone call, Liam’s been thinking far too much about Harry and his feelings. And with Sophie’s question, he finally allows himself to admit it to himself.

“I think I do, yes,” Liam replies. He feels lighter in that moment, beginning to choke up a bit at the intensity he feels. He pictures Harry’s piercing green eyes looking back at him, his lips turned up in a playful smirk.

“But you still haven't talked to him, yet?”

“No, sweetheart. Daddy’s been very busy at work.” Even to Liam, that sounds like a weak argument.

“Do you need the friendship stick, Daddy?” Sophie pulls her serious face, her mouth pouting and her eyebrows furrowed, looking squarely at him.

“I think I might need it soon,” Liam admits. He watches as Sophie nods, determined now to make him and Harry one.

“Me and Flora can make you one at school tomorrow,” Sophie says finally, yawning loudly.

“Thank you, Sophie,” Liam replies, kissing her forehead one last time as he slowly gets off her bed. “Sleep well, okay?”

“Goodnight, Daddy.”

“Goodnight, sweetheart.” He turns off her lamp light, leaving the door cracked open because she doesn't sleep well with it closed.

He walks back to his room solemnly, looking down at the phone on his bed as he makes a resolution to himself. He’ll talk to Harry tomorrow.  

 

~ 

 

Liam should’ve been paying more attention to his surroundings. He’s too deep in thought to really notice anyone leaning against this car, too busy making plans to call up Ryan to see what’s been happening with the injunction he’s made against Nelle. He doesn’t notice the figure until he’s pulling out his key only to drop it, startling. It’s a few seconds before he realizes that it’s just Harry, but his heart upticks when he sees how serious Harry looks. Turns out he didn't have to initiate the conversation with Harry himself, in the end.

“Fuck,” Liam mutters as he bends down to retrieve his keys.

“I’ve been trying to reach you for days,” Harry starts, moving in closer to Liam’s space as he stands up again. “Nothing, not even one text or call back to tell me that you’re okay. I’ve been getting updates from Sophie and Flora! Do you know how frustrating that is?”

Liam feels ashamed, because the only reason he hadn't contacted Harry was because he was being ridiculous. Harry crowds Liam against his car, but he doesn’t touch him. He flails his hands around Liam for a moment, not knowing what to do with them in his frustration. Liam puts his hands on Harry’s chest, wanting to give him the contact he seems to need.

“Don’t- don’t run away from me, Liam. We’ve got to talk about this,” Harry says, earnestly.

“I know, Harry,” Liam replies, nodding his head in agreement. “I’ve been stupid.”

“Damn right you’ve been stupid,” Harry says, shaking his head and huffing a disbelieving laugh. “You can’t leave me hanging like that. Flora threatened me with a friendship stick two days ago when I told her you were angry with me.”

“Sophie did the same thing to me,” Liam admits, shaking his head at the two of their daughter. Little minxes, they were, trying to mend their father's relationship. “Want to get in the car? We can go get coffee.”

Harry looks down at Liam through guarded eyes but nods, sighing to himself as he makes his way to the passenger side. They sit in silence for a few minutes after Liam starts the car and starts to drive to the nearest coffee shop. Liam breaks it by reaching for Harry’s hand and squeezing it.

“I’m sorry, Harry,” Liam says in sincerity, “I was being childish and let Nelle get inside my head. I promised you communication and I failed tremendously at it.”

“You shouldn’t have shut me out,” Harry replies, turning his hand over so that their hands were intertwined. “I’m here for you, Liam. You and Sophie. You’re both my family now and by god, I love you, you idiot.”

Liam’s thankful he’s pulling into the car park and into the first spot he sees before turning back to Harry with a stunned face. “You love me?”

“Yes, I fucking love you,” Harry replies, shaking his head at Liam. He moves closer to Liam, bringing their foreheads together. “And you don’t know how many times I had to stop myself from barging down your door after you wouldn’t answer my calls.”

“I- fuck Harry, I’m sorry,” Liam stumbles over his words, still stunned. Harry loves him. He can scarcely believe it.

“You should be,” Harry nods his head but he kisses Liam anyways. “I’m right here, Liam. All you have to do is talk to me. Don’t shut me out.”

“I know,” Liam pauses, shaking his head against Harry’s, “And I won’t. You’re it, Harry. I’m so fucking sorry for being such an ass this week but it helped me realize that you’re it for me. I sat on my bed for the past three nights with my fingers hovering over your name because all I wanted to hear was your voice. And I only stopped myself because I felt ashamed for not communicating with you but also because I was scared that you’d think I wasn’t enough anymore.”

“You are an idiot if you would ever think that you weren’t enough for me,” Harry announces, putting his hands on Liam’s cheeks. “My daughter adores you, I adore you, hell even Mum adores you. I love Sophie and I love you. We’re a family now, Liam. And four days of not talking isn’t going to change that. Do you hear me?”

Liam nods, letting Harry kiss him softly and then deeper. Liam sighs against Harry’s lips, trying to memorize the way Harry’s cold rings and warm fingers feel against his skin.

“I’ve missed you,” Liam says sheepishly, moving a few inches back to scratch the back of his neck.

“Of course, you missed me,” Harry says, smirking playfully, just the way Liam loves so dearly. “Who else would tease you and make you laugh with my jokes.”

“No one,” Liam smiles warmly, lovingly as he takes a hold of Harry’s hand. “You were right though, about Nelle. She does deserve to see Sophie, just like Sophie deserves to meet her mother. But I have to know her intentions are clear. She hasn’t led me to believe otherwise, however.”

Harry nods slowly, letting the information sink in. “Have you made an injunction?”

“Yeah, my lawyer filed it yesterday,” Liam confirms.

“Okay,” Harry replies, turning his face up to look fully at Liam, “I’ll support you in whatever happens, Liam. She doesn’t get to hurt you or Sophie, I know that. You’ve got me and Flora with you now. Nothing’s going to change that.”

“And you’ve got both Sophie and I, and nothing’s going to change that either,” Liam’s says solemnly.

“Good.” Harry kisses him one last time, smiling happily as he gets out of the car. “How about that coffee, then? Could use a hot one right about now.”

Liam laughs, shaking his head at Harry’s ease and charm. He’s filled with a golden warmth, finally letting it seep into his bones. Content, happy, and in love, that’s what he decides to describe exactly what he’s feeling. Because he can’t think of anything better than to have Harry by his side with Sophie and Flora. Nothing would be better.

 

_**Epilogue: Three years later** _

“Harry, can you please put Evan down before he spits up his milk,” Liam says from the couch. He has a burp blanket on his shoulder to catch any liquid that Evan would spit up but Harry disregarded that completely. The girls are in their room, Liam can hear them playing but his eyes are on Evan. Harry has Evan in the air, cooing happily at him and making raspberries into his stomach. Liam found it both endearing and a high chance of projectile that neither of them wanted to clean up.

“But I missed him,” Harry says, his voice high pitched as he begins to pepper kisses all over Evans face. Liam sits up carefully, his back hurting for a moment as he adjusts.

“You always make me the bad guy,” Liam says as he takes Evan back to properly burp him. He nudges his nose into Evans cheek and put him back onto his shoulder to burp him. “He hasn’t burped yet, you ninny.”

Harry pouts a Liam but lets him take Evan back. They sit for a moment with each other, having a breather after a long day and just enjoying the little time they have.

“How were they?” Harry asks, turning so that he’s facing Liam properly and kissing him. Liam follows Harry’s lips for a moment before he sighs and shakes his head.

“Flora forgot to put the markers away and Evan gave himself a face full of marker while Sophie cried when he spit up on Ellie,” Liam replied, shaking his head.

“That’s all?” Harry chuckles when Liam smacks him in the stomach. “I’m surprised they haven’t noticed that I’m home yet.”

“You usually announce yourself,” Liam reminds him, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at Harry.  Harry just shakes his head as Evan starts to pull on his hair.

“Scoot back,” Harry tells Liam, shoving at Liam’s shoulder. Liam knows exactly what Harry wants him to do, so he lays back down on the sofa. He lets Harry lay on top of him carefully as they both begin to play with Evan. Evan giggles and gurgles under all the attention he’s getting, but it’s not more than five minutes later when they hear the pounding of little feet.

“Daddy!” “Harry!”

“There’s my little girls,” Harry says happily, lifting up Evan and sitting up to let both Sophie and Flora crowd around him properly. “Were you very good for Liam today?”

They both look at Liam and nod happily, grinning from ear to ear.

“We looked after Evan while Daddy slept,” Sophie exclaims, splaying her hand out towards Evan to high five.

“Did you now?” Harry asks, raising his eyebrow at Liam. “That was very helpful of you.”

“He got into the markers though,” Flora admits, looking remorseful as she divulges this.

“I heard, we can’t let him do that next time though, right?” They both shake their heads in unison at that. “Good. Now how about we start making dinner? Let’s let Liam sleep a bit.”

Sophie and Flora nod their heads as the clap, jumping up and instantly going for the kitchen. Liam mouths thank you at Harry as he bends down to give Liam a kiss and then puts Evan down in his playpen. Harry only nods, squeezing down on Liam’s shoulder happily.

It’s this sight before him that Liam might never get over. He has his husband, two little girls and baby boy before him, a picture of happiness and love that Liam’s always longed for. It’s times like this where he can scarcely believe that this is his life. That he’d been in love and married again, with three children and his own house. But it is his, he reminds himself. This is his life he’s made with Harry and he’d never ever give it up. Nothing would be better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi guys! So here it is, the last part to this mini fic. Just to answer the one thing i did not include in the epilogue, was that Nelle eventually drops the want to come back into Sophie's life about a week after Liam had made his appeal.  
> I hope everyone enjoyed this mini! please let me know what i can improve on, but also please tell me what you enjoyed! I'll be posting some one shots and deleted scenes later hopefully as part of this mini, but that'll be a little later.  
> as always you can find me on tumblr [softlyziall](http://softlyziall.tumblr.com/)  
> thanks for reading!


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